270798 Multi-faceted intervention to reduce childhood obesity in Mexican-origin populations in the rural Central Valley of California

Tuesday, October 30, 2012 : 12:50 PM - 1:10 PM

Adela de la Torre, PHD , Center for Transnational Health, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA
Richard Green, PhD , Department of Agricultural Economics, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA
Meagan Hanbury, PhD Candidate , Department of Agricultural Economics, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA
Rosa Gomez-Camacho, PhD Candidate , School of Education, Center for Transnational Health, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA
Obesity is a health disparity that disproportionally affects Mexican-origin children and families. Forty-three percent of Mexican-origin children are overweight or obese compared to 32 percent of non-Latino white children. Little is known about the specific causes and factors that contribute to obesity within the Mexican-origin population. This paper seeks to fill this gap in the research by using a unique original data set. Niños Sanos, Familia Sana (NSFS) is a five year multi-faceted behavioral intervention that aims to reduce childhood obesity in the Mexican-origin population. This paper uses baseline (NSFS) data drawn from over 600 families in the intervention and control sites to analyze the specific factors that affect food choice among rural, Mexican-origin populations. This data set contains information on family purchasing decisions, including monthly spending on a detailed set of food categories. This data set also includes information on socioeconomic and demographic factors that may contribute to food purchasing decisions including, income, employment history, education, and level of acculturation. Acculturation will be measured using the Cuellar Scale. Each of these factors likely influence a family's knowledge base and ability to make decisions that contribute to the health of their children. This paper seeks to explore and quantify the impact of these factors on food spending allocations. This knowledge will be useful in directing future efforts to reduce childhood obesity and effectively targeting interventions aimed at the Mexican-origin population.

Learning Areas:
Diversity and culture
Planning of health education strategies, interventions, and programs

Learning Objectives:
Describe particular consumption and spending behavior patterns among Mexican-origin communities to help understand better the specific factors that affect food choice among rural, Mexican-origin populations. Explain how acculturation united to other socioeconomic and demographic factors influence a family’s knowledge base and ability to make decisions that contribute to the health of their children. Identify specific guidelines that inform future efforts to reduce childhood obesity among Mexican-origin populations.

Keywords: Obesity, Latinos

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am the Principal Investigator of the Project Niños-Sanos, Familia-Sana, a $4.8 million USDA NIFA grant focusing on addressing child hood obesity issues within the Mexican origin community. I am the Director of the Center for Transnational Health at UCDavis, which manages multiple federally and state funded grants to address health and education issues that affect Latino communities. My research primarily focus on social determinants of Chicano/Latino health issues, including border and binational health.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

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