Premium
Study of Dietary Patterns and Their Correlation with Obesity in the Mexican‐American Population
Author(s) -
Carrera Patricia Margot,
Gao Xiang,
Tucker Katherine L.
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.20.5.a1000
Subject(s) - waist , obesity , national health and nutrition examination survey , overweight , body mass index , medicine , refined grains , demography , food group , environmental health , ethnic group , acculturation , mexican americans , circumference , population , gerontology , biology , food science , endocrinology , geometry , mathematics , sociology , anthropology , whole grains
Data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) indicate that the trend toward increasing overweight and obesity among Mexican‐Americans is continuing. We examined the dietary patterns of the Mexican‐Americans and their association with total and central obesity. We hypothesized that Mexican‐American adults following a traditional diet would have a lower prevalence of obesity than those following a more typically American diet. Data were from the NHANES 2001–2002 and included 835 adults. Dietary patterns were defined by cluster analysis of food group variables, expressed as percentage contribution to total energy intake. Obesity was assessed by body mass index (BMI) and central obesity by waist circumference. We defined four dietary patterns, each named after the food groups that were most predominant relative to the other clusters: poultry, baked products, traditional foodstuffs, and meat. Surprisingly, we did not identify a healthy diet pattern group in this population, as has been generally observed in other ethnic groups. Contrary to our hypothesis, the traditional diet pattern was associated with higher values of BMI and waist circumference. More details on possible changes within the traditional pattern associated with acculturation, including use of fast food vs. home‐prepared Mexican foods, are needed to better understand the observed association with obesity.