A comparison of the dietary habits of adults in Puebla, Mexico to those of Mexican immigrants in the Bluegrass Region of Kentucky

Background: Immigrants experience declining health status as years of U.S. residency increase. Rising obesity prevalence and chronic disease rates are common. While U.S. immigrants' nutrition and dietary habits have been studied, little is documented on changes in dietary habits that happen upon emigration from the home country.

Methods: Purposive sampling will be used to select participants: 100 adult immigrants from Mexico living in the 17-county Bluegrass Area Development District of Kentucky, and 100 adult residents of Puebla, Mexico. Participants will complete a voluntary, anonymous, food frequency questionnaire adapted from an NHANES survey about their consumption of fruits, vegetables, and calorie-dense foods. Kentucky data collection will be completed by April 31, 2011; Mexico data collection will be completed by May 27, 2011. Responses of the two populations will be compared.

Objectives: This study intends to: 1) determine differences in fruit and vegetable consumption between adults living in Mexico and adult immigrants from Mexico living in the Bluegrass Region of Kentucky, and 2) determine differences in consumption of calorie dense (“junk”) foods between the two populations. The research hypothesis is that adult immigrants in the Bluegrass Region consume fewer servings of fruits and vegetables and more servings of calorie-dense foods than adults living in Mexico.

Conclusion: People from Mexico make up over 60% of the Hispanic immigrant population in the U.S.; a thorough understanding of dietary habits will help tailor health education efforts for culturally effective interventions.