Abstract
Objective
To examine differences in diet and food purchasing behaviors between Black and White older women living in urban neighborhoods.
Design
Cross-sectional observational study. Setting: Urban neighborhoods in Washington, DC, USA.
Participants
Community-dwelling White and Black women of age 65 and older.
Measurements
Participants were queried on diet via 24-hour recalls, food purchasing habits, their use of neighborhood resources and local travel patterns. Frequency and location of self-reported food purchasing and consumption were compared by race.
Results
In 2014 and 2015, 49 White and 44 Black older women were enrolled in the study. Compared to Whites, Blacks reported lower daily caloric intake (mean (SD) 1314 (404) vs. 1529 (448), p=0.02), with a higher percent of calories from protein and fat 1.8 (7.0), p=0.03), and a slightly higher polyunsaturated to saturated fat ratio (p=0.05). Blacks had substantially lower alternate healthy eating index (AHEI) (33.5 (10.2) vs. 43.9 (10.8) of 80 possible points, p<0.001), daily intake (grams) of total fiber (15.3 (8.1) vs. 22.9 (8.5), p<0.001), insoluble fiber (10.8 (6.9) vs. 15.9 (6.5), p<0.001), and soluble fiber (4.5 (2.0) vs. 6.9 (2.8), p<0.001). Blacks had lower intake of micronutrients, alcohol and caffeine. Blacks shopped for groceries less often (4.4 (3.0) vs. 6.2 (3.0) monthly; p=0.006) and spent a longer time traveling to stores (15.8 (9.1) vs. 11.5 (7.2) minutes per trip, p=0.02). A lower percent of Blacks walked to stores (14% vs. 40%, p=0.003) and a higher percent of Blacks rode in a car with someone else (33% vs. 6%, p<0.001).
Conclusions
In an urban setting, food consumption and purchasing behaviors differed substantially between older Black and White women, which should be further investigated and considered to promote healthy eating in older populations.
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Li, W., Youssef, G., Procter-Gray, E. et al. Racial differences in eating patterns and food purchasing behaviors among urban older women. J Nutr Health Aging 21, 1190–1199 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12603-016-0834-7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12603-016-0834-7