RESUMO
OBJECTIVE: To determine the mediating effect of direct preschool and parent nutrition education on changes in skin carotenoids scores over 2 years in children of Mexican heritage. DESIGN: In a quasi-experimental, community-based study, two school districts were randomly assigned to either a comparison group (parent workshops unrelated to nutrition) or a childhood obesity prevention intervention group which included nutrition education at family nights for parents and at school for children. Changes in skin carotenoid intensity scores (diffCAROT, year 2015 minus 2013) were measured in children as a proxy for fruit and vegetable consumption using Resonance Raman Spectroscopy. SETTING: Two rural, low-income, school districts from a county in California's Central Valley. PARTICIPANTS: 316 Mexican heritage families with children aged 3-8 years. RESULTS: Intervention group children improved over 2 years in skin carotenoid scores relative to comparison group children (diffCAROT mean +1419 (sd 9540) v. -3473 (sd 9272), P = 0·0001). Parent attendance at nutrition education classes partially mediated the intervention effect on diffCAROT (P = 0·02). Controlling for child's age and other covariates, participation in preschool during the study had a significant positive effect on diffCAROT among intervention children compared with controls (P < 0·03), whereas no significant difference by group was observed among those not enrolled in preschool or already enrolled in elementary school. CONCLUSIONS: Programmes that combine direct parent and preschool nutrition education may be effective in low-income Mexican heritage families to improve children's intake of fruit and vegetables.
Assuntos
Carotenoides , Frutas , Educação em Saúde , Verduras , Criança , Pré-Escolar , Comportamento Alimentar , Humanos , México , Política Nutricional , PaisRESUMO
Latino children experience higher rates of obesity than do non-Latino white children. Family-centered nutrition interventions can slow the rate of weight gain in this population. Niños Sanos, Familia Sana (Healthy Children, Healthy Family) is a 5-year, community-based, participatory research study that targets rural Mexican-origin farmworker families with children aged 2 to 8 years in California's Central Valley. Adaptation of a culturally relevant obesity prevention program involved qualitative research to tailor key obesity prevention messages, pilot testing and implementation of key messages and activities at family nights, and continual modification to incorporate culturally innovative elements. Of the 238 families enrolled, 53% (125) attended the recommended minimum of 5 (of 10 possible) classes during the first year. A university and community partnership can guide development of a culturally tailored obesity prevention program that is suitable for reaching a high-risk Mexican-origin audience through cooperative extension and other public health programs.
Assuntos
Dieta/etnologia , Terapia por Exercício , Ciências da Nutrição/educação , Pais , Obesidade Infantil/prevenção & controle , Pobreza , California , Criança , Pré-Escolar , Pesquisa Participativa Baseada na Comunidade , Emigrantes e Imigrantes/estatística & dados numéricos , Saúde da Família , Comportamentos Relacionados com a Saúde/etnologia , Implementação de Plano de Saúde , Promoção da Saúde/métodos , Humanos , México/etnologia , Projetos Piloto , Desenvolvimento de Programas , População Rural/estatística & dados numéricosRESUMO
OBJECTIVE: The present paper examines the influence of age and gender on food patterns of Latino children. DESIGN: Data are from baseline of a 5-year, quasi-experimental obesity prevention study: Niños Sanos, Familia Sana (NSFS; Healthy Children, Healthy Families). In 2012, the researchers interviewed Latino parents, using a thirty-item questionnaire to ask about their children's food consumption and feeding practices. Statistical tests included t tests and ANCOVA. SETTING: Rural communities in California's Central Valley, USA. SUBJECTS: Two hundred and seventeen parents (87-89% born in Mexico) and their children (aged 2-8 years). RESULTS: Fifty-one per cent of the children were overweight or obese (≥85th percentile of BMI for age and gender). Mean BMI Z-scores were not significantly different in boys (1·10 (SD 1·07)) and girls (0·92 (SD 1·04); P=0·12). In bivariate analysis, children aged 2-4 years consumed fast and convenience foods less often (P=0·04) and WIC (Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children)-allowable foods more often than children aged 5-8 years (P=0·01). In ANCOVA, neither age nor gender was significantly related to food patterns. Mother's acculturation level was positively related to children's consumption of fast and convenience foods (P=0·0002) and negatively related to consumption of WIC foods (P=0·01). Providing role modelling and structure in scheduling meals and snacks had a positive effect on the vegetable pattern (P=0·0007), whereas meal skipping was associated with more frequent fast and convenience food consumption (P=0·04). CONCLUSIONS: Acculturation and child feeding practices jointly influence food patterns in Latino immigrant children and indicate a need for interventions that maintain diet quality as children transition to school.