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Differences in Diet Quality and Snack Intakes Among Non-Hispanic White and Mexican American Adolescents from Different Acculturation Groups

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Abstract

Mexican American adolescents have an increased risk for obesity compared to non-Hispanic whites (NHWs), especially as their degree of acculturation increases. Snack intakes can impact diet quality and may affect obesity risk, yet little is known about differences in snack intakes among NHW and Mexican American adolescents from different acculturation groups. This study compared diet quality and snack intakes among NHW and Mexican American adolescents from different acculturation groups. This study used cross-sectional data from 3636 Mexican American and NHW adolescents in the 2005–2014 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Acculturation was defined based on generational status and language use. Outcomes were Healthy Eating Index-2015 (HEI-2015) score, daily energy intake from snacks, snack frequency, energy value of snacks, and percent contribution of snacks to total daily energy. Analysis of covariance was used to compare outcomes across groups, after adjustment for sex and income. In the full sample, mean HEI-2015 score was 45 ± 0.4. Non-Hispanic white adolescents had modestly poorer diet quality compared to US-born adolescents with a foreign-born parent and Mexican-born adolescents (P < 0.001). Mean daily snack intake was 583 ± 16 kcal. Items in the Snacks and Sweets and Beverages categories contributed more than half of the energy provided by snacks. Non-Hispanic white adolescents had a greater total snack intake compared to all language use at home groups, except equal Spanish and English use. Improving the types of foods consumed as snacks has the potential to partially mitigate differences in snack intakes and diet quality among non-Hispanic white and Mexican American adolescents.

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Funding

The first author received salary support from the National Institutes of Health (NIH T32 DK007658).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Lifecourse Epidemiology of Adiposity and Diabetes (LEAD) Center, Colorado School of Public Health, Aurora, CO, 80045, USA

    Traci A. Bekelman

  2. Department of Pediatrics, Section of Nutrition, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, 80045, USA

    Susan L. Johnson

  3. Medical Dietetics & Health Sciences, School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, 43210, USA

    Christopher A. Taylor

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  1. Traci A. Bekelman
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Contributions

TB, SJ, and CT conceptualized the project, TB and CT analyzed the data, TB drafted the manuscript, SJ and CT provided substantive feedback on the manuscript. TB, SJ, CT reviewed the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Traci A. Bekelman.

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Dr. Bekelman, Dr. Johnson, and Dr. Taylor declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Research Involving Human Participants

All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institution and/or national research committee (The National Center for Health Statistics’ Research Ethics Review Board, #2018-01) and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

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Bekelman, T.A., Johnson, S.L. & Taylor, C.A. Differences in Diet Quality and Snack Intakes Among Non-Hispanic White and Mexican American Adolescents from Different Acculturation Groups. J. Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities 7, 1090–1099 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40615-020-00732-8

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