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Objective: To document nutrient and food group serving intakes from food sources among Latina subgroups living in the same geographical area., Design: A cross-sectional study. Nutrient and food group serving intakes were assessed by means of a 24 h recall administered immediately after a prenatal survey., Setting: Hartford, CT, USA., Subjects: A total of 233 low-income pregnant Latinas. For analyses, Latinas were classified into two groups on the basis of self-reported ethnic identity: Puerto Ricans and non-Puerto Rican Latinas., Results: Puerto Rican Latinas were more likely than non-Puerto Rican Latinas to be more acculturated and to consume foods (i.e. processed meat, cheese, soft drinks) and higher levels of nutrients (i.e. fat, SFA, MUFA, trans fatty acids) that have been implicated in the development of chronic diseases. By contrast, non-Puerto Rican Latinas were more likely to consume foods (i.e. fruits, dark green/yellow vegetables, tomatoes, non-starchy vegetables) and higher levels of nutrients (i.e. fibre, vegetable protein, folate, β-carotene) that promote health when compared with Puerto Rican Latinas., Conclusions: Findings suggest that acculturation may play a role in dietary intake. Clinicians and dietitians need to be aware of these differences to encourage healthy eating patterns among more acculturated pregnant Latina clients.

This cross-sectional study assessed: (a) awareness and knowledge of federal dietary tools (MyPyramid, Food Guide Pyramid (FGP), and food labels (FL)), and (b) the influence of acculturation and state of residence on FGP knowledge (FGPK) indicators among low-income Latina WIC participants (N = 479) living in Connecticut, Ohio, Texas, and California. Participants were familiar with FGP but only 37% recognized MyPyramid. FGPK was highest for fruits (71%) and lowest for the 'breads and cereals' group (12%). Less than half (47%) used FL's when grocery shopping. Living in OH, was associated with the lowest FGPK. Multivariate analyses showed that more acculturated individuals living in CT/CA had better FGPK than participants living in TX and their less acculturated counterparts in CT/CA. The forthcoming revised federal dietary tools need to be adequately disseminated among Latinos, with special emphasis on those with lower acculturation levels, living in rapid emerging Latino communities or in the US-Mexico border.

Objective: To examine the associations of nutrition knowledge, food label use, and food intake patterns among Latinas with and without diagnosed diabetes., Design: This was a case-control study., Subjects/setting: A convenience sample of 201 (100 cases with diagnosed type 2 diabetes, 101 controls without diagnosed diabetes) nonpregnant, nonbreastfeeding Latinas without severe health conditions, aged 35 to 60 years were interviewed by bicultural interviewers. Diverse community-based recruitment methods were used., Statistical Analyses Performed: Independent samples t test, Mann-Whitney U, and chi(2) tests, and multivariate logistic regression were performed., Results: Food labels self-efficacy and stage of change, and average nutrition knowledge scores were similar between cases and controls (P>0.05). Within the diabetes group, nutrition knowledge was greater among those who had seen a registered dietitian or a diabetes educator (P=0.020). Cases reported consuming artificially sweetened desserts and beverages more frequently than controls (P<0.001). Pooled sample cross-sectional analyses showed that nutrition knowledge was positively related to food label use, which in turn was related to a more healthful food intake pattern (P<0.05). After adjusting for likely confounders, socioeconomic status (SES) was positively related to nutrition knowledge (P=0.001) and intakes of fruits, vegetables, and meats (P

Objectives: To examine the associations of socioeconomic status and acculturation with obesity and lifestyle characteristics that may be risk factors for diabetes and cardiovascular disease among low-income Puerto Rican women., Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted between 1998 and 1999 by interviewing a convenience sample of 200 low-income Puerto Rican female caretakers of young children in Hartford, Connecticut, United States of America. Various recruitment methods were used to ensure adequate representation of the target community. The associations of obesity (body mass index > or = 30.0) and lifestyle factors (physical activity, cigarette smoking, alcohol consumption, food intake) with socioeconomic status (education, employment, car ownership), acculturation, age, and marital status were examined with Spearman rho, chi-squared, and Mann-Whitney U tests and logistic regression analyses., Results: Mean age was 29 years. Obesity (40%), physical inactivity (47%), and cigarette smoking (32%) were common. Less acculturated participants were 57% less likely to smoke and 54% less likely to be obese than their more acculturated counterparts. Lower socioeconomic status (not finishing high school or not owning a car) was associated with a higher likelihood of obesity, but unemployed (vs. employed) women were less likely to be obese (P < 0.05). Women who did not own a car consumed meat, eggs and fish less often than those who owned a car. Smokers were more likely to have an unhealthy food intake pattern than nonsmokers., Conclusions: The associations of acculturation and socioeconomic status with some lifestyle characteristics suggest the need for culturally appropriate programs to promote healthy lifestyle behaviors in this low-income community.

To examine reasons for not breastfeeding, and to identify factors associated with ever breastfeeding among Puerto Rican women, a retrospective study was done using a convenience sample of 161 low-income Latino women with children younger than 6 years. Women were recruited from the Hispanic Health Council (43.5%), the Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (29.8%), and other places (26.7%). Participants were interviewed using a pretested questionnaire specific to the target community. Most (73%) of the respondents chose to be interviewed in Spanish. Chi-square analyses were used to examine the bivariate association between ever breastfeeding and the independent variables. Multivariate logistic regression was conducted to estimate the independent association between acculturation, social capital, and breastfeeding. Women with more social capital were more likely (odds ratio = 2.25, 95% confidence interval, 1.02-4.95) to have breastfed the index child, suggesting that social capital is an important predictor of breastfeeding initiation in this community.