Abstract: The purpose of this study was to conduct a secondary analysis to examine the association between the change from baseline to follow-up in Latino mothers’ self-reported nutrition knowledge, self-efficacy, intentions, food label use, and role modeling from baseline to follow-up with their reports of children’s dietary intake measured at follow-up. Data were obtained from from Sanos y Fuertes, a culturally-tailored community-based nutrition education intervention. The participants were Latino mothers and their children ages 2 to 8 years old. A dietary quality scoring system was created using food frequency data. To account for reported frequencies, five set points were created to define criteria for high dietary quality. Logistic regression tests were conducted for the five set points. The change in nutrition knowledge (p = .019) and role modeling (p = .034) of the mothers significantly predicted probability of higher child dietary quality at follow-up. Findings suggest the need for interventions that focus on increasing parental dietary knowledge while emphasizing the importance of role modeling. Further research is needed to explore cultural-related dietary differences between Latinos and non-Latinos.

Background: Many adult Latinos are not meeting guidelines for healthy eating. Theory posits the important role of family and family members on individuals' health behaviors (e.g., diet). However, few studies examine how children impact their parents' diet. Furthermore, empirical evidence shows that acculturation is an important predictor of diet among Latino adults. The purpose of this dissertation was to examine the role of children, families, and acculturation on mothers' dietary intake and related behaviors. Methods: Chapters 1 and 2 used secondary data from mother-child dyads enrolled in a randomized controlled trial (RCT) and Chapter 3 used primary data collected from mother-child dyads. Chapter 1 used baseline survey data from 314 Latino mother-child dyads to test how children's acculturation and the mother-child acculturation gap was associated with mothers' dietary intake and related behaviors. Building on the results from Chapter 1, in Chapter 2, longitudinal data from 162 dyads enrolled in delayed treatment group of the RCT were used to test the temporal relations of the family environment on traditional mothers' dietary intake and behaviors, and whether these relations differed between mothers of assimilated versus bicultural children. Finally, Chapter 3 used qualitative interview data from mothers and their bicultural (n=11) or assimilated (n=10) children and quantitative data from mothers to explore how children influenced their mothers' dietary intake and behaviors. Results: Chapter 1 provided evidence that accounting for mothers' acculturation, having an assimilated versus a bicultural child was negatively associated with mothers' vegetable intake and positively associated with mothers' sugary beverage intake, percent of calories from fat, and frequency of away-from-home eating. The most at-risk dyads for lower quality diet among mothers were traditional mothers of assimilated children. Chapter 2 found that less positive family interactions around food at baseline predicted more frequent away-from-home eating four months later among mothers of assimilated children. Additionally, more family expressiveness at four months predicted more dollars spent on fruits and vegetables at ten months among mothers of bicultural children. In Chapter 3, participants described how mothers' feeding styles shaped children's food preferences and in return, children's food preferences influenced mothers' dietary intake and behaviors. Discussion: This dissertation found evidence for the important role of children and families on mothers' dietary intake and related behaviors. The findings presented here support the theoretical notion that individuals' health behaviors are directly and indirectly influenced by family-level factors. Further, this dissertation extends previous research on the important role of mothers on their children's dietary outcomes by building evidence for the reciprocating influence of children on their mothers' dietary intake and behaviors.

Hispanics and the Future of America presents details of the complex story of a population that varies in many dimensions, including national origin, immigration status, and generation. The papers in this volume draw on a wide variety of data sources to describe the contours of this population, from the perspectives of history, demography, geography, education, family, employment, economic well-being, health, and political engagement. They provide a rich source of information for researchers, policy makers, and others who want to better understand the fast-growing and diverse population that we call "Hispanic." The current period is a critical one for getting a better understanding of how Hispanics are being shaped by the U.S. experience. This will, in turn, affect the United States and the contours of the Hispanic future remain uncertain. The uncertainties include such issues as whether Hispanics, especially immigrants, improve their educational attainment and fluency in English and thereby improve their economic position; whether growing numbers of foreign-born Hispanics become citizens and achieve empowerment at the ballot box and through elected office; whether impending health problems are successfully averted; and whether Hispanics' geographic dispersal accelerates their spatial and social integration. The papers in this volume provide invaluable information to explore these issues.

Latinos are the fastest growing racial/ethnic minority population in the United States and have experienced a disproportionate increase in adult and child obesity, compared to the general population. In 2009-2010 the prevalence of obesity among Latino children was almost 1.5 times that of non-Hispanic white children. These statistics are particularly concerning because of the many obesity-related health consequences for both adults and children. Energy intake is a significant determinant of obesity. Grocery shopping behaviors impact dietary intake and quality, which, in turn, impact weight status and health outcomes. Compared to the general U.S. consumer market, Latinos make up to three times more grocery shopping trips per week and co-shop more frequently, most often with children. Latino grocery shoppers are also 50% more likely to be influenced by children than non-Hispanic grocery shoppers. Parents readily acknowledge that children influence their purchasing decisions, however they consistently underestimate the degree of child influence. Any given parent-child co-shopping trip provides many opportunities for food purchasing related parent-child interactions. Children's primary method of influencing purchase outcomes is the purchase influence attempt (PIA), such as asking nicely, negotiating, or begging for an item. Other prominent moderators of purchase outcome include child age, co-shopping frequency, child movement restriction, monthly household income, and parent- vs. child-initiated interactions. Beyond these moderators, cultural beliefs regarding child-feeding and child-rearing practices can influence parent-child interactions. As examined in this study, understanding Latino parent-child interactions during grocery shopping can inform future interventions to reduce obesity and its associated disease burden among Latinos. The aims of the study were to: (1) identify the number, type, and success of child PIAs; (2) examine how various factors, such as child age, co-shopping frequency, child movement restriction, monthly household income, parent- vs. child-initiation, and acculturation moderate the number, type, and success of PIAs; and (3) examine the validity of self-report by comparing the number of purchases made due to the child's request as reported by the parent with those observed during the shopping trip. The study employed a mixed methods design that included two brief interviews and a single observation to assess the influence of Latino parent-child interactions on grocery store purchases among 100 dyads. The total number of exchanges per interactions was significantly different between those that resulted in purchase and those that did not. Parent self-report was significantly different from those documented by observers, however parents over-reported the number of items purchased at the child's request. The remaining results were largely inconsistent with previous findings, but may be explained, in part, by parent feeding style among Latinos. Overall, the results support three key conclusions: (1) PCIs can consist of several exchanges, so it is necessary to examine beyond the first exchange to understand mechanisms of influence; (2) observation and self-report methods should be used together in order to obtain an accurate representation of actual behaviors and perceived influence; and (3) further research of Latino PCIs is warranted to understand discrepancies between the present findings and previous studies.

"Literature suggests that in certain populations, such as Hispanic families, children may have strong influence on dietary behaviors for the entire family. Additionally, a family environment where parents are more often compliant to their child's requests for less nutritious foods may be related to increased obesity prevalence rates (Flegal, Ogden, & Carroll, 2004). The purposes of this project were to examine child influence on dietary behaviors in low-income families, assess how child influence may differ between Hispanic and non-Hispanic families, and investigate the association between child influence and child overweight and obesity. A cross-sectional community-based design was utilized. Data collection methods included surveys, at-home interviews, and grocery store observations. It was first established that the majority of parents found their early adolescent child to have a substantial influence on family dietary and physical activity behaviors. Investigating this idea more in depth, it was found that children tended to request of their mothers to purchase or provide foods that were lower in nutritional content, but mothers tended to be more compliant when these requests involved foods with higher nutritional content. The number of child food requests was important as a statistically significant positive association between child food requests and maternal compliance was found. Maternal compliance, however, was found to have a significant association with child BMI. Although statistically significant differences between Hispanic and non-Hispanic participants were not identified, areas worthy of further research were identified. These results can be used in future development of nutrition interventions targeted to low-income families."--Abstract from author supplied metadata.