The present study explored whether African American women's level of dietary fat intake could be predicted by the variables of food preferences and preparation methods, support for healthy eating from family and friends, attitudes toward health, and acculturation. The present study also explored whether African American women's level of dietary fat intake could be predicted by the variables of food preferences and preparation methods, support for healthy eating from family and friends, and attitudes toward health, as moderated by acculturation.Information was obtained from five hundred and nintey nine African American females between the ages of eighteen and forty four. The women were recruited from a Midwestern univeristy, an undergraduate and graduate chapter of an African American sorority, two African American professional organizations, and through the snowball method. Particpants completed a Demographic Questionnaire, The Eating Behavior Patterns Questionnaire, The African American Acculturation Scale Short Form, The Health Attitudes Scale, The Social Support Scale, and The Eating Patterns Subscale on the Eating Habits Questionnaire. The data was collected via hardcopy and InQsit, an online survey program.Numerous preliminary tests were run to screen the data for outliers, linearity, and multicollinearity. Then, two forced entry multiple regressions were performed. In the first analysis, the overall model was a significant predictor of dietary fat intake. African American women's preferred foods, positive and negative support from friends, overallconcern for health, and intentions to adopt positive health practices are significant predictors of their level of dietary fat intake. In fact, these variables acccounted for almost half of the amount of variance in dietary fat intake. The second model was not significant and acculturation was not a significant predictor or moderator of dietary fat intake. Although acculturation was proven to be influential to dietary behaviors in African Americans in previous literature, the findings were not confirmed in this study.Multiple possibilies may explain the lack of significant findings between level of acculturation and dietary fat intake. The women in the current study were of a higher educational and income status than women in previous studies indicating significant findings. This difference in education and income, among other factors, may account for the difference in significant findings. The information gained in this study can be used to develop pschoeducational and treatment programs aimed at helping African American women prevent or treat health problems associated with poor eating habits. Several research implications are also noted. / Department of Counseling Psychology and Guidance Services
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:BSU/oai:cardinalscholar.bsu.edu:handle/176093 |
| Date | January 2006 |
| Creators | Evans, Gina |
| Contributors | Bowman, Sharon L. |
| Source Sets | Ball State University |
| Detected Language | English |
| Format | 83 leaves : ill. ; 28 cm. |
| Source | Virtual Press |
| Coverage | n-us--- |
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