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Psychosocial Factors of Diet and Physical Activity among Rural, Hispanic Children: Findings from a Multilevel Health Intervention Study

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Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Objective

To examine the relationship of psychosocial factors, such as self-efficacy, family role modeling, and perceptions of the environment, on diet, physical activity, and sedentary behavior in Hispanic children living in rural Washington State.

Methods

Gender, heights, and weights were obtained from Hispanic 8–12 year olds (n = 553) from two rural communities in Lower Yakima, Washington. A subsample of 179 children provided psychosocial measures, diet, and screen time via questionnaire and physical activity via accelerometer. Body mass index percentiles were used to calculate the prevalence of obesity. The association of demographic and psychosocial measures on the mean difference (95% confidence interval (CI)) of fruit, vegetable, and sugar consumption and minutes spent active was estimated using linear regression models.

Results

Prevalence of obesity was 35%. Children with obesity consumed one-fifth (− 0.3, − 0.02) fewer cups of fruits, 2.2 (0.1, 4.2) more teaspoons of total added sugars, and spent 16.1 (− 22.0, − 10.2) fewer minutes in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity per day compared with children with healthy weights. Males consumed more added sugars and reported more screen time than females, but spent more daily minutes in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity. Higher fruit and vegetable self-efficacy scores were associated with more consumption of fruits and vegetables, more engagement in light physical activity, and less time spent sedentary per day.

Conclusion

Male gender and some psychosocial measures were associated with obesogenic behaviors. Insight about factors associated with obesity-related behaviors in rural, Hispanic children may help the development of successful and effective behavioral health interventions for this understudied population.

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Abbreviations

US:

United States

NHANES:

National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey

MVPA:

moderate-to-vigorous physical activity

BMI:

body mass index

STRIDE:

Strategizing Together Relevant Intervention for Diet and Exercise

CDC:

Centers for Disease Control

DSQ:

Dietary Screener Questionnaire

SSB:

sugar-sweetened beverages

SD:

standard deviation

CI:

confidence interval

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Acknowledgments

The authors wish to thank Beti Thompson and Norma (Mariscal) Alcala for their support on this project.

Funding Source

Funding was provided by the National Institutes of Health (U01 MD010540). The funding body had no role in the study’s design, collection, analysis, and interpretation of the data, or in the writing of this manuscript.

Availability of Data

The datasets analyzed in the current study are part of an ongoing longitudinal multi-intervention trial and are not publicly available, but are accessible from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Public Health Sciences, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, 1100 Fairview Ave N. M3-A410, Seattle, WA, 98109, USA

    Eileen Rillamas-Sun, Sonia Bishop, Jason A. Mendoza, Mario Kratz & Linda K. Ko

  2. Sunnyside School District, 1110 S. 6th St., Sunnyside, WA, 98944, USA

    Oralia Cisneros

  3. Department of Pediatrics, University of Washington School of Medicine, 2001 Eighth Ave. Ste. 400, M/S: CW8-6, Seattle, WA, 98121, USA

    Jason A. Mendoza

  4. Department of Health Services, University of Washington School of Public Health, 1959 NE Pacific St, Seattle, WA, 98195, USA

    Linda K. Ko

Authors
  1. Eileen Rillamas-Sun
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  2. Sonia Bishop
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  4. Jason A. Mendoza
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  5. Mario Kratz
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  6. Linda K. Ko
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Contributions

All authors contributed meaningfully to the development of this manuscript. LK and ERS designed and developed the study. LK and SB secured funding. LK, SB, and OC implemented the study and collected the data. ERS, LK, JM, and MK analyzed and interpreted the data and completed the literature search. All authors participated in the writing of the manuscript, accept responsibility for its content, and approved this submitted version.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Eileen Rillamas-Sun.

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Conflict of Interest

The authors declare they have no conflict of interest.

Ethics Approval

All procedures performed were in accordance with the ethical standards of the Institutional Review Board at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

Consent to Participate

Endorsement to conduct the study was obtained from the Lower Yakima Community Advisory Board and the school superintendents. All parents of children participating in the STRIDE study provided written informed consent and all children in the STRIDE study provided written assent to participate.

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Rillamas-Sun, E., Bishop, S., Cisneros, O. et al. Psychosocial Factors of Diet and Physical Activity among Rural, Hispanic Children: Findings from a Multilevel Health Intervention Study. J. Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities 6, 1218–1227 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40615-019-00623-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40615-019-00623-7

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