Research: current researchHigher fat intake and lower fruit and vegetables intakes are associated with greater acculturation among mexicans living in Washington State
Section snippets
Study sample
Data are from Celebrating Health!, a community intervention trial in the Yakima Valley of central Washington state. The overall objective of the trial is to assess the effectiveness of a comprehensive cancer prevention program, including a dietary intervention. Approximately 50% of the Yakima Valley population is Hispanic, 90% of whom are from Michoacan, Mexico. These ethnic characteristics of the community facilitated recruitment of a substantial number of Hispanics for the study, but Mexican
Results
Table 1 gives the demographic characteristics of the study population. Forty-three percent of the sample were Hispanic, and 57.5% were female. Compared with non-Hispanic white residents, Hispanics were younger, had less education, and had lower income. Approximately 62% of the Hispanics in this study were classified as low acculturation. Twenty-nine percent of all interviews were conducted in Spanish.
Table 2 gives associations of ethnicity and acculturation with fruit and vegetable intake and
Discussion
This study of a homogeneous sample of Hispanics and non-Hispanic white residents residing in Yakima Valley, WA, showed that Hispanics who are highly acculturated to the mainstream United States culture eat fewer fruits and vegetables compared with Hispanics who are less acculturated, but both groups eat more fruits and vegetables than non-Hispanic white residents. This article offers insight into ways that Hispanic immigrants may alter their food purchasing and preparation techniques as they
Applications
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Diet is a major but modifiable risk factor for many chronic diseases. Understanding dietary changes made by Hispanic immigrants will allow nutrition professionals to play an important role in disease prevention in this large population subgroup.
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Dietetics professionals should encourage their Hispanic clients to maintain their traditional dietary practices, such as a high intake of fruits and vegetables and eating bread and potatoes without added fat.
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Dietetics professionals can provide
Acknowledgements
This research was supported by the National Cancer Institute (CA 74968).
The investigators also wish to acknowledge the Celebrating Health! project staff for their dedication and hard work and the study participants in the lower Yakima Valley, WA, for their time and effort.
M. L. Neuhouser is senior staff scientist, B. Thompson is a member, and Gloria D. Coronado is a staff scientist, Cancer Prevention, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA.
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M. L. Neuhouser is senior staff scientist, B. Thompson is a member, and Gloria D. Coronado is a staff scientist, Cancer Prevention, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA.
C. C. Solomon is a research associate, Cardiovascular Health Study, Department of Biostatistics, University of Washington, Seattle, WA.