Jeanette I. Candelaria

Differences in cancer-risk-related behaviors in Latino and Anglo adults

METHODS. Latino (n = 358) and Anglo (n = 113) adults living in the San Diego area were surveyed on nutrition, smoking, and cancer screening behaviors. The Latino respondents were dichotomized into a low (L-Latino) or high (H-Latino) acculturation group according to a median split of an acculturation index. RESULTS. After controlling for age, years of education, gender, marital status, and income, significant cross-cultural differences were found in saturated fat/cholesterol avoidance, and fiber and high calorie food consumption. L-Latino respondents had the lowest degree of saturated fat/cholesterol avoidance, followed by H-Latinos and Anglos. A pattern of decreasing consumption with increasing acculturation was observed for fiber and high calorie foods. Significant differences were found among women in the prevalence of Pap smear exams, with L-Latinas having the lowest prevalence of ever and in the past year having had a Pap smear, followed by H-Latinas and Anglos. A similar significant pattern was observed among women 50 years of age or older with respect to the prevalence of ever having had a mammogram.

Results of Language for Health: Cardiovascular Disease Nutrition Education for Latino English-as-a-Second-Language Students

This report presents the final evaluation of Language for Health, part of a federally funded initiative to develop heart disease prevention interventions for low-literate populations. Language for Health specifically intervened with recent immigrants enrolled in English-as-a-second-language classes, incorporating nutritional behavior change materials into English-language curricula. Latino participants (n = 732) were exposed to either nutrition education or stress management classes (attention-placebo group) designed specifically for low-English-literate adults. Participants completed physiological measures assessing blood pressure, total and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, waist and hip circumference, and weight. Self-report surveys were administered to collect students’ nutrition-related knowledge, attitudes, self-reported fat avoidance behaviors, and demographic information. Data were collected at baseline, 3-month posttest, and 6-month follow-up. Results indicated long-term effects of the intervention on nutrition knowledge and fat avoidance, yet only short-term effects on total cholesterol: HDL ratio and systolic blood pressure.

Project Salsa: Development and Institutionalization of a Nutritional Health Promotion Project in a Latino Community

Purpose. Project Salsa was a community-based effort seeking to promote health through nutritional behavior change in a Latino community of San Diego, California. The purpose of this article is to report on program factors related to long-term institutionalization of Project Salsa interventions. Design. Project Salsa was a demonstration rather than an experimental project. To ensure maximum sensitivity to the needs and values of the community, Project Salsa began with an extensive health needs assessment, including development of an advisory council, telephone survey, archival research, and key informant interviews. Setting. Project Salsa interventions took place in San Ysidro, California, located near the U.S.-Mexico border adjacent to Tijuana from 1987 to 1992. Subjects. The intervention community had 14,500 residents, of which nearly 83% were Latino. Interventions. Interventions included coronary heart disease risk factor screenings, meal preparation classes, newspaper columns, point-of-purchase education, school health and cafeteria programs, and breast-feeding promotion. Measures. Institutionalization of intervention components. Results. Two of the interventions, the risk factor screenings and school health programs, are still in operation 4 years after the end of project funding. Conclusions. Four factors common to institutionalized components are presented in the paper.

Availability of cigarettes as a risk factor for trial smoking in adolescents.

OBJECTIVES To examine associations between cigarette availability measures with trial (ie, first) use of cigarettes. METHODS At Time 1 and one year later (Time 2), 478 adolescents completed smoking surveys. Trial smoking at Time 2 was predicted from Time 1 availability variables (prospective prediction), as well as Time 2 availability variables (cross-sectional prediction). RESULTS Offers from friends/classmates were a significant cross-sectional predictor. In prospective analyses, greater perceptions of ease of obtaining cigarettes from parents and greater frequency of offers from an adult were related to trial smoking. CONCLUSIONS Adult influences, including parental factors, may predispose a young adolescent to smoke.

Development of a Protocol to Assess Dietary Intake Among Hispanics who Have Low Literacy Skills in English

Hispanic adults who had low literacy in English (n = 14.3) and who attended community college English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) classes, completed 24-hour dietary recalls using version 2.5 of the computerized Minnesota Nutrition Data System (NDS), which included many Hispanic foods. The purposes of our study were to assess the appropriateness of NDS for a Hispanic group who had low literacy in English, to describe the development and implementation of training procedures for NDS interviewers, and to discuss the special problems that occurred using the enhanced version of NDS. Further, nutrient, intakes for the study population, as calculated using NDS, were compared with nutrient estimates from the Hispanic Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (HHANES). Results suggest that version 2.5 of NDS is a useful tool for collecting dietary information for Hispanics who have low literacy in English. Challenges encountered during data collection for this study could be categorized into three types: regional differences in foods, food preparation differences, and lack of appropriate options in NDS for preparation methods. Generally, the study group and HHANES participants had similar intakes, although the study group tended to have a more healthful nutrition profile. Overall, findings indicate that NDS is a promising assessment tool for nutrition practitioners who work with Hispanics who have low literacy in English. Continued improvements to the NDS system can correct its shortcomings related to regional/ cultural food differences.

Effect of a Nutrition Intervention on Macronutrient Intake in a Low English-Proficient Hispanic Sample

Currently, heart disease is the number one cause of death in the Hispanic population. 4 The age-adjusted mortality rate for heart disease in Hispanic Axnericans (181 per 100,000 persons) is greater than that found in White Americans (177 per 100,000 persons), Asian/Pacific Islanders (94 per 100,000 persons), and American Indian/ Alaska Natives (104 per 100,000 persons), but equivalent to rates found in African-Americans (181 per 100,000 persons) .5 The relatively high prevalence of heart disease within this population illustrates the importance of targeting this group in health promotion programs. Nader et al. (1992) conducted a family-based cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk reduction study in which intervention effects