Increasing calcium and vitamin D intake of first generation Chinese American women.

摘要

Osteoporosis is a national and global health problem. The annual medical cost of fractures caused by osteoporosis in the US is estimated to be ;To accomplish this objective, three studies were conducted with Chinese American populations mainly in the Philadelphia area. In the first study, 8 focus groups, stratified by sex and marital status, were conducted in each of three PA cities to investigate factors within these strata that influenced dairy product consumption. Analysis indicated that participants' evaluated dairy products based on specific characteristics and that family dietary patterns affected their choices. In the second study, interviews were conducted with 20 Chinese American couples in each of these three PA cities to collect information on the Chinese American family food system and family use of dairy products. These couples were recruited from weekend Chinese schools, because these schools, where parents enroll their children to maintain Chinese language skills, provide access to Chinese American families. Analysis indicated that parents used roles, rules and power to balance family member food preferences and maintain the traditional Chinese meal pattern.;In the final step, using the information gathered in the two previous studies, a nutrition education intervention, based on the Theory of Planned Behavior, was designed for peri- and menopausal married Chinese American women. Intervention impact was then evaluated using a quasi-experimental study with a nested design and pre, immediate post, and 3-month follow-up assessments. Six Chinese schools in the Philadelphia area were randomly assigned to either the experimental group (n= 3) or the control group (n=3) so each group contained about 70 women. The experimental group received a heel scan and six weekly interactive lessons. The control group received six weekly non-related financial lessons by mail. Results of repeated assessments showed that women in the experimental group significantly increased their daily dietary calcium and vitamin D intake, knowledge, and stage of change for consuming dairy products, compared to the control group at post assessments. Their attitudes towards, perceived behavioral control over, and intention of consuming calcium-rich foods were also improved compared to the control group at post assessments.;This research is the first to investigate the family food system and use a nutrition intervention to increase calcium and vitamin D intake of first generation Chinese Americans. The intervention could be used by educators to reduce the risk of osteoporosis in Chinese American women. The couple interviews shed light on the Chinese American food system. Results of both the focus groups and the couple interviews are useful to nutrition educators who hope to change the food choices of Chinese Americans.