Family Restaurant Choices Are Associated with Child and Adult Overweight Status in Mexican-American Families

doi:10.1016/j.jada.2007.02.012

Journal of the American Dietetic Association

Volume 107, Issue 5, May 2007, Pages 849-853

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jada.2007.02.012 Get rights and content

Abstract

Increasing evidence links restaurant food with overweight, but little is known about the relative roles of different types of restaurants, or the effects among Latinos. Using baseline data from an intervention trial, this study tested whether the type of restaurant a family reports visiting most often is associated with the body mass index (BMI; calculated as kg/m²) of children and adults. Children, ages 4 to 7, and one primary caregiver for each child (94% mothers), were recruited through public elementary schools in southern San Diego County, CA, with at least 70% Latino enrollment. Weight and height measurements and survey information assessing family restaurant patronage were collected from 223 pairs of children and adults. Logistic regression results showed that children were most likely to be at risk of overweight (BMI ≥85th percentile) in families who ate most often at fast-food chains (odds ratio: 2.2; 95% confidence interval: 1.2 to 4.3). Parent overweight (BMI ≥25) was associated with eating at American restaurants, primarily buffets (odds ratio: 2.8; 95% confidence interval: 1.3 to 6.2). Both child and parent BMI were lowest in families selecting Mexican restaurants. Eating at fast-food chains and other Anglo-oriented restaurants may contribute to higher obesity rates linked to acculturation among Mexican Americans.

Section snippets

Sample

This analysis uses baseline data from Aventuras para Niños, a childhood obesity prevention trial. Participants were recruited from five elementary schools in Chula Vista, CA, a San Diego suburb 6 miles from the Mexican border. Kindergarten through second-grade students with no major health problems were eligible. Bilingual, bicultural recruiters informed families of the program through telephone calls, face-to-face contact at school, presentations at school events, and flyers sent home. A total

Statistical Analysis

Frequencies, bivariate correlations, and χ² tests were used to describe demographic and anthropometric data. A sample-size calculation was performed to determine the appropriate sample size necessary to achieve 80% power, based on a two-tailed test in logistic regression at a 0.05 significance level. Using four dichotomous outcomes (child BMI ≥85th and 95th percentiles and parent BMI ≥25 and 30), a sample size of 223 would allow detection of moderate-sized odds ratios of 1.50 to 1.60. Multiple

Sample Characteristics

Parents were 98% female, with a mean age of 33 years (standard deviation [SD]=7.6). Three quarters (74%) were born outside the United States and the same percentage completed the survey in Spanish; 66% were educated in Mexico and 33% in the United States. Mean score on the Cuellar Acculturation Scale (26) was −1.22 (SD=1.35), indicating low levels of acculturation. Anglo acculturation positively correlated with completing the survey in English (r=0.63, P<0.001), having been born in the United

Conclusions

This study found differences in child and parent weight status among Mexican-American families with a preference for Anglo-oriented restaurants vs Mexican restaurants. These findings add to the growing understanding of fast-food and other restaurants as environmental factors in the obesity epidemic, particularly regarding the food environments of young children, the food choices that accompany increased acculturation, and the potential link between obesity and buffet dining. The data may inform

S. C. Duerksen is an intervention coordinator, J. P. Elder is a professor, Division of Health Promotion, E. M. Arredondo is a research scientist, G. X. Ayala is an assistant professor, Division of Health Promotion, D. J. Slymen is a professor, Division of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, N. R. Campbell is a project manager, and B. Baquero is an evaluation coordinator, all at the Center for Behavioral and Community Health Studies, San Diego State University Graduate School of Public Health, San

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The objective of this study was to explore the mediating effects of emotional eating, restrained eating, and external eating on the relationship between acculturation and binge eating among Latino adolescents. Adolescents who self-identified as Latino (N = 285) at public high schools in Southern California were recruited and completed a self-report survey. Acculturation was assessed using the 8-item Acculturation, Habits, Interests for Multicultural Adolescents (AHIMSA) scale for adolescents, mediators were assessed using Dutch Eating Behavior Questionnaire (DEBQ), and binge eating was assessed using a 13-item Eating Disorder Diagnostic Scale. A bootstrapped multiple mediation model was used to test mediation pathways. Findings suggest that individually each eating style—emotional, restrained and external eating pathway did not reach significance singly, but that jointly, their combined effect was significant with a total indirect effect (B = 0.15, CI 0.01-0.30) indicating an additive effect of the three eating styles. Future research should examine additional mediators of the relationship between acculturation and binge eating.
Acculturation and sugar-sweetened beverage consumption among Hispanic adolescents: The moderating effect of impulsivity
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In laboratory settings, researcher has shown relative to individuals with low impulsivity, individuals with high impulsivity consumed higher calorie foods (Guerrieri et al., 2009; Nederkoorn, 2009), were more often overweight or obese (Nederkoorn, Houben, Hofmann, Roefs, & Jansen, 2010), and were more likely to consume snack foods (Riggs, Chou, Spruijt-Metz, & Pentz, 2010). As individuals acculturate to a new culture, they might lose some dietary protective cultural norms and values from the heritage culture and/or acquire cultural norms and values from the new culture (Ayala et al., 2008; Duerksen et al., 2007; Schwartz & Unger, 2010). This study postulates that adolescents who are more acculturated are less likely to conform to heritage culture social norms such as healthy eating of nutrient dense foods.
Consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages is a risk factor for obesity. Acculturation to the United States (US) might increase sugar-sweetened beverage consumption among Hispanic adolescents, but few moderators of this relationship have been examined. This study examined the moderating influence of impulsivity on the association between acculturation and sugar-sweetened beverages. Hispanic adolescents (n = 154), 14–17 years, were identified and screened for eligibility through low-SES high schools and parents provided consent. Adolescents completed measures of acculturation using Unger's 8-item acculturation scale, impulsivity, and diet. Multiple linear regression was used to examine the main effect of acculturation and the interaction of acculturation with impulsivity on the diet outcomes: sugar-sweetened beverage consumption and percent of calories from sugar. Acculturation was positively associated with sugar-sweetened beverages (β = 0.43; p < .05). The interaction of acculturation x impulsivity was significant (β = 0.42, p < .05). Among youth who were more acculturated, those who were more impulsive consumed more sugar-sweetened beverages. Youth who were more acculturated, but less impulsive consumed less sugar-sweetened beverages. Neurocognitive variables such as impulsivity may be important moderators of the influence of acculturation on dietary behavior. Targeted messaging strategies based on levels of acculturation and impulsivity might enhance the effectiveness of interventions designed to reduce the intake of sugar-sweetened beverages among Hispanic adolescents.
Has the growth in “fast casual” Mexican restaurants impacted weight gain?
2018, Economics and Human Biology
Citation Excerpt :
Consistent with this hypothesis, previous studies have found that ethnic restaurants are more likely to offer non-fried carbohydrate offerings, fruits, and vegetables (Hanni et al., 2010), as well as playing an important role in improving access to healthy food in low-income, Latino communities (Nevarez et al., 2013; Emond et al., 2012). Furthermore, using survey data, Duerksen et al. (2007) show that child and parent body mass index (BMI) values are lowest among Mexican-American families who select Mexican restaurants. This evidence provides partial support for programs promoting ethnic restaurants as channels for increasing access to healthy food.
The United States is witnessing a boom in fast casual restaurants owing to the recent growth of ethnic restaurants throughout the country. This study examines the effects of proximity to a Mexican restaurant—the dominant type of ethnic fast casual restaurant—on maternal and child health. I match data on the complete residential addresses of all mothers who gave birth in the Miami metropolitan area between 1990 and 2009 to a time series of all establishments (restaurants and stores) selling food and drink. This unique data set allows me to use mother fixed effects and to exploit the variation over time of the food environment to identify the effects on maternal weight gain and childbirth outcomes. The results show that living in proximity to a Mexican restaurant is associated with an 8% lower likelihood of excessive weight gain among US-born mothers. These effects are concentrated in low-income neighborhoods and among members of disadvantaged groups (e.g., low-skilled, young, and African-American individuals). However, the results show no protective effect for foreign-born mothers. Lastly, there is no evidence of significant effects on other maternal outcomes or on various child health metrics at birth.
Frequency of intake and type of away-from- home foods consumed are associated with diet quality in the hispanic community health study/study of latinos (HCHS/SOL)
2018, Journal of Nutrition
Away-from-home foods (AFHFs) influence diet quality, a modifiable obesity risk factor, with limited generalizable evidence in Hispanic/Latino adults.
We investigated associations between AFHF intake with diet quality and overweight or obesity among US Hispanic/Latino adults.
Cross-sectional baseline (2008–2011) analyses included adults (n = 16,045) aged 18–74 y in the national Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos. Participants self-reported AFHF consumption frequency from 10 different settings and dietary intake (2-d 24-h recall). The Alternate Healthy Eating Index–2010 (AHEI-2010) was used to measure diet quality; higher scores indicated a healthier diet and scores were categorized into tertiles. WHO classifications categorized overweight [body mass index (BMI; kg/m²): 25.0–29.9] and obesity (BMI ≥30). Multivariate-adjusted associations of AFHF frequency or type with AHEI-2010, overweight, or obesity were assessed by using complex survey logistic regression (ORs and 95% CIs).
Almost half of participants (47.1%) reported eating AFHFs ≥5 times/wk. The mean ± SE AHEI-2010 score was 47.5 ± 0.2. More than one-third (37.2%) were classified as overweight and 39.6% classified as obese. Compared with consuming AFHFs ≥5 times/wk, consuming AFHFs <1 time/wk or 1–2 times/wk was associated with greater odds of being in higher AHEI-2010 tertiles, indicating a healthier diet [<1 time/wk—tertile 2: OR (95% CI): 1.6 (1.4, 1.9); tertile 3: 2.5 (2.1, 3.1); 1–2 times/wk—tertile 2: OR (95% CI): 1.4 (1.2, 1.6); tertile 3: 1.5 (1.2, 1.8)]. Consumption of AFHFs ≥1 time/wk from each AFHF setting, compared with consumption of any AFHFs <1 time/wk was associated with lower odds of being in higher AHEI-2010 tertiles. Increasing AFHF intake frequency was not associated with odds of overweight or obesity. Eating from on-street vendors ≥1 time/wk was associated with obesity (OR: 1.5; 95% CI: 1.1, 2.0).
Consumption of AFHFs was prevalent among Hispanic/Latino adults and was associated with poorer diet quality. Findings may help to identify dietary targets to improve diet quality and prevent obesity in US Hispanics/Latinos.
Associations between family food behaviors, maternal depression, and child weight among low-income children
2014, Appetite
Citation Excerpt :
Television watching while eating has been associated with heavier BMI z scores in older children (MacFarlane, Cleland, Crawford, Campbell, & Timperio, 2009), and with increased consumption of unhealthy foods among middle school children (Coon et al., 2001). Consumption of fast food among Mexican American families (Duerksen et al., 2007) and older children (MacFarlane et al., 2009) has been linked to child overweight, though few studies have examined whether such practices are associated with variation in child weight among low-income families. One major barrier low-income families may face in the struggle to provide a healthy family food environment is maternal depression.
Although low-income children are at greater risk for overweight and obesity than their higher income counterparts, the majority of poor children are not overweight. The current study examined why such variation exists among diverse young children in poor families. Cross-sectional data were collected on 164 low-income, preschool aged children and their mothers living in two Rhode Island cities. Over half of the sample was Hispanic (55%). Mothers completed measures of family food behaviors and depression while trained assistants collected anthropometric data from children at seven day care centers and a Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program outreach project. Multivariate analysis of covariance revealed that higher maternal depression scores were associated with lower scores on maternal presence when child eats (P < .05), maternal control of child's eating routines (P < .03), and food resource management skills (P < .01), and with higher scores on child control of snacking (P < .03) and negative mealtime practices (P < .05). Multiple regression results revealed that greater maternal presence whenever the child ate was significantly associated with lower child BMI z scores (β = .166, P < .05). Logistic regression analyses indicated that higher scores on food resource management skills reduced the odds of child overweight (odds ratios = .72–.95, P < .01). Maternal depression did not modify the relationship between family food behaviors and child weight. Overall, caregiver presence whenever a child eats, not just at meals, and better parental food resource management skills may promote healthier weights in low-income preschoolers. Further research is needed to identify the mechanisms that connect caregiver presence and food resource management skills to healthier weights for this age group.
Buffets and obesity
2013, Clinical Nutrition
Buffets are the "perfect" environment for facilitating excessive energy intake. Customers at buffets often eat considerably more food than is the usual case at regular restaurants. However, extremely little research has been conducted on the relationship between buffets, energy intake, and weight gain. Research studies are therefore needed that investigate whether buffets do indeed contribute to excessive food intake and thence obesity.

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ResearchResearch and Professional BriefFamily Restaurant Choices Are Associated with Child and Adult Overweight Status in Mexican-American Families

Abstract

Section snippets

Sample

Statistical Analysis

Sample Characteristics

Conclusions

Am J Clin Nutr

J Nutr Educ Behav

Prev Med

Lancet

J Am Diet Assoc

Am J Prev Med

J Am Diet Assoc

Womens Health Issues

J Am Diet Assoc

Health Place

Prev Med

J Am Diet Assoc

J Am Diet Assoc

Prevalence and trends in obesity among US adults, 1999-2000

JAMA

The changing environment and population obesity in the United States

Obes Res

The contribution of expanding portion sizes to the US obesity epidemic

Am J Public Health

Research
Research and Professional Brief
Family Restaurant Choices Are Associated with Child and Adult Overweight Status in Mexican-American Families