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Submitted to: Pediatrics
Publication Type: Abstract Only Publication Acceptance Date: 4/23/2002 Publication Date: 7/27/2002 Citation: BOWMAN, S.A. WOMEN OF DIFFERENT ETHNIC ORIGIN: THEIR BELIEFS AND BEHAVIOR TOWARD DIETARY FAT.. SOCIETY FOR NUTRITION EDUCATION. 2002. 35th Annual Meeting, St. Paul, Minnesota, July 27-31, 2002. Vol. 35, No.1. Interpretive Summary: Technical Abstract: The study uses the USDA's Diet and Health Knowledge Surveys 1994-1996 data, and examines the fat-related, dietary practices and attitudes of women. There were 2,167 Non-Hispanic White, 385 African American, and 227 Hispanic women in the study. A higher proportion of African-Americans and Hispanics, than the Non-Hispanic Whites said that it was very important to them to have a diet low in fat and cholesterol. However, more Non-Hispani White women, than the other two groups, met the dietary recommendations for total fat(39%), saturated fat (44%), and cholesterol( 80%). One of the reasons for this discrepancy could be due to the differences in their frequency of use and ability to understand food label information such as calories in a serving, calories from fat, and daily values. More Non-Hispanic Whites often read and understood food labels. Only about one-third of the Hispanics and one-fourth of the African Americans often read food labels - a much smaller proportion of them understood the food label information. The dietary practices varied among the ethnic groups: the African-Americans were more likely to eat fried chicken and less likely to remove skin off chicken and choose lean meats; the Hispanics were less likely to choose low-fat dairy products; and the Non-Hispanic Whites were more likely to use fat on baked potatoes. This study showed a need for ethnicity-based, nutrition-intervention programs. Nutrition educators should consider the ethnic background of women while designing nutrition education messages. This study was funded by USDA/ARS. |
