May

May 2001: Highlights from the Journal of the American Dietetic Association

Below are summaries of several nutrition research articles published in the May 2001 issue of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association. For more information, to receive a copy of a JADA article or this issue’s table of contents, or to interview an article’s author(s), please call Bridget McManamon 800/877-1600, ext. 4769; or e-mail bmcmana@eatright.org.

Parents: Practice what you preach

Do parents really practice what they preach when it comes to nutrition and their children? According to researchers from Washington University, St. Louis, they do. Researchers examined the eating patterns and dietary intakes of 456 African-American parents to see how their habits influenced their children’s diets. Participants completed eating pattern and food frequency questionnaires, and a community-based dietary change study was used to identify role-modeling behaviors. Researchers found that parents who model healthful dietary behaviors may have a long-term impact on the development of childhood eating patterns. Since 16 percent of African-American children are overweight - putting them at increased risk for cancer and other chronic diseases - the authors conclude that dietitians should take a close look at how parents are modeling dietary behaviors and explain how these behaviors may affect their child’s ultimate nutritional health.

Set goals for weight-loss

Having trouble losing weight? Set some goals for yourself; it may just help to shed those unwanted pounds. In evaluating recent studies, researchers from Baylor College of Medicine found that weight-loss programs which focus on personal, behavioral or environmental factors are more successful than simple knowledge-based nutrition education programs. Researchers developed the four steps of successful goal-setting:

  1. Recognize the need for change
  2. Establish a goal
  3. Monitor goal-related activity
  4. Self-reward for achieving the goal

Since goal-setting appears to promote dietary change, researchers suggest that dietitians should consider incorporating goal-setting strategies into sessions to enhance the behavior change process in nutrition education programs.

Does culture influence food choices?

The prevalence of obesity among Mexican-Americans is estimated to be 40 percent in men and 48 percent in women. Because obesity is difficult to treat in adults, early intervention is needed to help prevent its onset. With that in mind, researchers from the University of California at Davis studied child feeding strategies in preschoolers from Mexican-American families, based on how well-adapted the mother was to American culture. A total of 238 low-income Mexican-American families provided information on child-feeding practices. Country of origin, years of residence and language proficiency were evaluated to determine how well-adapted the mothers were to the new culture. Researchers found that mothers who are not well-adapted tend to offer alternative foods more often when their children refuse to eat. Mothers who are more adapted are less likely to view bribes, threats and punishments as effective strategies and are more likely to give vitamins than mothers who are not adapted. Researchers suggest that nutrition education plans should encourage consumption of nutrition traditional foods and a transition from child-led snacking to more structured meals.