DIETARY INTAKE AND RELATED ATTITUDES TOWARD HEALTHY EATING DIFFER BETWEEN AFRICAN-AMERICAN AND HISPANIC UNDERSERVED YOUTH

Purpose (a): Underserved African-American (AA) and Hispanic youth are disproportionally affected by obesity. This comparative study examined dietary intake and attitudes toward healthy food intake between AA and Hispanic underserved youth. Methods (b): Participants (n=112) ages 8 to 12 (X= 9.2) were assessed prior to beginning an after-school obesity prevention program at various community centers in Fort Worth, Texas. Forty-two percent were normal weight and 58% were overweight or obese. Youth completed a 24-hour dietary recall, and cumulative scores for Healthy Food (HF) and Unhealthy Food (UF) intake were obtained. Self-report surveys included confidence for increasing fruit/vegetable intake (FV) and for reducing fat intake (FAT), and intrinsic motivation for healthy eating (MOT). Differences between Hispanic and AA youth for HF, UF, MOT, FV and FAT were analyzed using Mann-Whitney U. Relationships among variables were analyzed using Spearman correlation. Bonferroni correction was applied. Results (c): AA as compared to Hispanic youth reported less HF (p=.003). Between group comparisons for other variables were non-significant. HF was correlated with FV for AA (r=.395, p=.003) and Hispanics (r=.452, p=.001), and with MOT for AA (r=.419, p=.002). All other correlations were non-significant. Conclusions (d): Among underserved youth, AA may be consuming much less healthy food than Hispanics. Although they did not differ in motivation or confidence for healthy eating, intake of healthy food appears highly related to degree of confidence for choosing fruits and vegetables for both groups. A focus on improvement in motivation also may be valuable in improving healthy food intake for AA. Results have implications for the development of culturally sensitive dietary interventions.