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The Role of Assimilating to the US Culture and the Relationship Between Neighborhood Ethnic Composition and Dietary Intake Among Hispanic Youth

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Abstract

Background

Dietary fiber and sugar intake have been shown to affect metabolic health in overweight Hispanic youth. Evidence on the influence of culture on fiber and sugar intake in Hispanic youth is limited.

Methods

The associations among score for levels of assimilation, neighborhood ethnic characteristics, and daily total and added dietary sugar and dietary fiber intake were assessed using regression analyses.

Results

One hundred twenty-four Hispanic youth (age = 13.6 ± 3.0, 106 female) were included. The proportion of Hispanic population in the neighborhood was positively associated with fiber intake (standardized β = 0.205, p < 0.01) and inversely associated with added (standardized β = −0.234, p < 0.01) and total sugar intake (standardized β = −0.229, p < 0.01). Youth’s self-identified levels of assimilation inversely moderated (standardized β = −0.465, p = 0.036) the association between %HP and dietary fiber intake.

Conclusions

Hispanic youth residing in areas of that are predominantly populated with Hispanics may be protected from conforming to unhealthy dietary behaviors. This protective effect is weaker among Hispanic youth with higher level of assimilation.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Preventive Medicine, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA

    Cheng K. Fred Wen, Stephanie Hsieh, Jimi Huh, Lauren Cook Martinez & Donna Spruijt-Metz

  2. Department of Nutrition, University of Texas, Austin, Austin, TX, USA

    Jamie N. Davis

  3. Department of Pediatrics, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA

    Marc Weigensberg

  4. Institute for Integrative Health, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA

    Marc Weigensberg

  5. Center for Social and Economic Research, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA

    Donna Spruijt-Metz

  6. Department of Psychology, Dana and David Dornsife College of Letters, Arts, and Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA

    Donna Spruijt-Metz

Authors
  1. Cheng K. Fred Wen
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  2. Stephanie Hsieh
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  3. Jimi Huh
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  4. Lauren Cook Martinez
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  5. Jamie N. Davis
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  6. Marc Weigensberg
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  7. Donna Spruijt-Metz
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Cheng K. Fred Wen.

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Conflict of Interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Ethical Approval

All procedures performed in the three study protocols were approved and in accordance with the ethical standards of the University of Southern California Institutional Review Board and with the 1964 Helsinki Declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

Informed Consent

All participants provided their informed assent along with signed informed consents from their parents or legal guardians.

Funding

The study was supported by the University of Southern California Center for Transdisciplinary Research on Energetics and Cancer. Author CKFW is supported by the Ph.D Fellowship of the Graduate School of University of Southern California and the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health Grant 5R01AT008330.

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Fred Wen, C.K., Hsieh, S., Huh, J. et al. The Role of Assimilating to the US Culture and the Relationship Between Neighborhood Ethnic Composition and Dietary Intake Among Hispanic Youth. J. Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities 4, 904–910 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40615-016-0293-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40615-016-0293-1

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