New Findings from Iowa State University in Health Behavior Provides New Insights (Health Behaviors among Low-income Hispanic and Non-Hispanic White…

Obesity, Fitness & Wellness Week

New Findings from Iowa State University in Health Behavior Provides New Insights (Health Behaviors among Low-income Hispanic and Non-Hispanic White Women)

By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Obesity, Fitness & Wellness Week -- Investigators publish new report on Health and Medicine - Health Behavior. According to news reporting originating from Ames, Iowa, by NewsRx correspondents, research stated, "We determined relationships between food behaviors and health-risk factors by acculturation among limited-income Hispanic and non-Hispanic white women. Women aged 18-49 years were recruited from income-based programs in metro-Phoenix, Arizona."

Our news editors obtained a quote from the research from Iowa State University, "Self-administered surveys in English or Spanish included demographics, a 10-item food behavior checklist, health-risk factors, food security, and acculturation. Differences by 4 acculturation/ethnicity categories were assessed with chi-square and analysis of variance (ANOVA). We created a food behavior scale. Eighty-two percent self-identified as Hispanic (N = 358), with 45% Hispanic-dominant, 25% bicultural, 12% English-dominant, and 18% non-Hispanic white for acculturation status. Food behavior checklist results showed that English-dominant Hispanic and non-Hispanic white women were more likely to feed their children soon after waking, refrigerate meat/dairy promptly, not add salt to food, smoke cigarettes and be food insecure (p < .001). Education, not acculturation, was a significant predictor of the food behavior scale. BMI did not differ by acculturation, but 33% of Hispanic-dominant Latinas did not know their height and/or weight. These less acculturated Latinas had significantly greater food security, but lacked health insurance and years of education."

According to the news editors, the research concluded: "Program outreach tailored by acculturation that considers educational level is needed to emphasize existing positive behaviors and address knowledge gaps among low socioeconomic women to improve health and reduce disparities."

For more information on this research see: Health Behaviors among Low-income Hispanic and Non-Hispanic White Women. American Journal of Health Behavior, 2018;42(3):56-68. American Journal of Health Behavior can be contacted at: Png Publications, 2205-K Oak Ridge Rd, #115, Oak Ridge, NC 27310, USA (see also Health and Medicine - Health Behavior).

The news editors report that additional information may be obtained by contacting D.M. Winham, Iowa State University, Dept. of Food Sci & Human Nutr, Ames, IA 50011, United States. Additional authors for this research include S.M. Palmer, T.L.A. Florian and M.C. Shelley.

The direct object identifier (DOI) for that additional information is: https://doi.org/10.5993/AJHB.42.3.6. This DOI is a link to an online electronic document that is either free or for purchase, and can be your direct source for a journal article and its citation.

Keywords for this news article include: Ames, Iowa, United States, North and Central America, Health Behavior, Health and Medicine, Risk and Prevention, Iowa State University.