Obesogenic Dietary Practices of Latino and Asian Subgroups of Children in California: An Analysis of the California Health Interview Survey, 2007–2012

摘要

Objectives. We examined obesogenic dietary practices among Latino and Asian subgroups of children living in California. Methods. We analyzed 2007, 2009, and 2011–2012 California Health Interview Survey data to examine the differences in dietary practices among Mexican and non-Mexican Latino children and 7 ethnic subgroups of Asian children. We used multivariable regression to examine the sociodemographic factors associated with specific dietary practices. Results. Latino subgroups of children had few differences in obesogenic dietary practices, whereas Asian subgroups of children exhibited significant differences in several obesogenic dietary practices. Korean and Filipino children were more likely than Chinese children to consume fast food and have low vegetable intake. Filipino children, followed by Japanese children, had the most obesogenic dietary practices compared with Chinese children, who along with South Asian children appeared to have the least obesogenic dietary practices. In general, income, education, and acculturation did not explain the dietary differences among Asian groups. Conclusions. Our findings suggest the need to disaggregate dietary profiles of Asian and Latino children and to consider nontraditional sociodemographic factors for messaging and counseling on healthy dietary practices among Asian populations. Dietary practices among pediatric racial and ethnic minority groups highlight possible contributions to the nation’s significant obesity disparities. High consumption of sugar- sweetened beverages (SSBs) and fast food and low consumption of fruits and vegetables have been found among Latino and African American children compared with White children. 1–4 These dietary differences have been associated with environmental factors such as access to fresh foods and social factors such as family income, education level, and acculturation. Many of these factors have been understudied among Asian children. This gap in the literature is problematic given the emerging evidence that Asian children have notable differences in dietary practices compared with White children and that Asian Americans with the same body mass index (BMI; defined as weight in kilograms divided by the square of height in meters) are at a higher risk for cardiovascular diseases and type 2 diabetes than non-Hispanic Whites. 5–8 Furthermore, children of various Asian and Latino ethnic groups with distinct historical, migration, and social contexts are generally grouped together in research analyses, making it difficult to understand the ethnicity-specific salient roles that education, income, and acculturation may play in specific dietary practices. 9,10 Acculturation has been described as both a protective factor and a risk factor for healthy dietary practices among immigrants. For example, acculturation among Latinos has been associated with higher consumption of fruits and vegetables but also with higher rates of fast food and sugary food consumption in both pediatric and adult Latino populations. 11–13 Less is known about the role of acculturation in dietary practices among Asian and Latino ethnic subgroups. 5,6,14,15 We examined dietary practices within ethnic subgroups of Latino and Asian children and the associated role of sociodemographic factors. On the basis of the thin literature that has examined dietary practices among Latino subgroups of children, we hypothesized that children of Mexican descent would have healthy dietary practices compared with other Latino groups and that Asian ethnic groups of children would show a wide variety of dietary practices. In addition, we hypothesized that acculturation, after controlling for education and income, would have an independent effect on dietary practices for all ethnic groups of children.