Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #114466

Tamara Dubowitz, MSc, SM¹, S.V. Subramanian, PhD², Dolores Acevedo-Garcia, PhD², Theresa L. Osypuk, MS², and Karen E. Peterson, ScD, RD³. (1) University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health, Center for Minority Health, 125 Parren Hall; 130 DeSoto St, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, 412 624 5665, tdubowitz@cmh.pitt.edu, (2) School of Public Health, Dept of Society, Human Development & Health, Harvard University, Kresge Building, 7th Floor, 677 Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA 02115, (3) Department of Society, Human Development and Health, Harvard School of Public Health, Harvard Prevention Research Center, 677 Huntington Avenue, 7th Fl., Boston, MA 02115

We examined the association between neighborhood demographic factors and fruit and vegetable consumption among a population of low-income postpartum immigrant (foreign born) and native born women. We additionally tested whether there was a cross-level interaction between nativity status and neighborhood proportion of the foreign born population. We geocoded residential addresses of 641 low-income predominantly Latina and White women aged 18 to 45 years enrolled in an intervention trial and matched them to 184 census tracts. This data was then merged with Census data containing tract-level demographic and socioeconomic measures. Finally, we combined the tract-level data with individual level data collected through the intervention trial. Multilevel models were used to account for the multilevel structure of the data. After adjusting for multiple individual and tract level factors, for each increment of 10% of the foreign born population, we observed a statistically significant (p<.05) increase in 1/3 serving of fruit and vegetable intake. For each increase of 10% of the Black proportion of the population, a statistically significant (p<.05) decrease of 1/5 of a serving was demonstrated. Those who were foreign born and lived in neighborhoods with higher proportions of foreign born demonstrated a stronger association than native born individuals who lived in comparable neighborhoods. Among this population of low-income postpartum women, neighborhood demographics, specifically proportion of foreign born and proportion of the Black population, mattered above and beyond individual level characteristics. Food policy and programs aimed toward low-income women would benefit from considering the influence of residential environments on diet.

Learning Objectives:

• Describe neighborhood effects on fruit and vegetable consumption among a population of low-income, postpartum women
• Discuss the potential and limitations of multilevel methods in this study
• Identify implications for food policy and programs within maternal and child health

Keywords: Immigrants, Geocoding

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commercial supporters.

Recorded presentation