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Exploring Dietary Behavior Differences among Children by Race/Ethnicity and Socioeconomic Status
Author(s) -
Woolf Hope R.,
Fair Melissa,
King Sarah B.,
Dunn Caroline Glagola,
Kaczynski Andrew T.
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
journal of school health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.851
H-Index - 86
eISSN - 1746-1561
pISSN - 0022-4391
DOI - 10.1111/josh.12915
Subject(s) - socioeconomic status , ethnic group , overweight , meal , obesity , demography , logistic regression , confidence interval , odds ratio , environmental health , evening , medicine , gerontology , psychology , population , sociology , anthropology , physics , pathology , astronomy
BACKGROUND In Spartanburg County, SC, nearly 33.7% of children are overweight or obese. The purpose of this study was to investigate differences in eating behavior of youth by race/ethnicity and socioeconomic status. METHODS Students (N = 997) in 4th to 5th grades completed the School Nutrition and Physical Activity Survey. School databases categorized students as either White or racial/ethnic minority and free/reduced or full paid lunch status. Dietary behaviors included 13 composite measures: unhealthy proteins, healthy proteins, dairy, refined grains, whole grains, vegetables, fruit, fried snacks, sugar‐sweetened beverages, sweets, and consumption of a breakfast, evening, and/or restaurant meal. Logistic regression, controlling for sex, was used to analyze differences in consumption for each nutrition variable. RESULTS Minority youth were less likely to consume healthy proteins (odds ratio [OR] = 0.71, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.55‐0.92) and more likely to eat at a restaurant (OR = 1.32, 95% CI = 1.02‐1.70) compared to white youth. Lower socioeconomic status youth were less likely to eat an evening meal compared to higher socioeconomic status youth (OR = 0.59, 95% CI = 0.39‐0.89). CONCLUSIONS Differences in dietary behaviors may result from food accessibility and insecurity in minority and/or low‐income neighborhoods. Future research should explore policy strategies that can help ensure all youth maintain healthy eating habits and weight status.

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