Nutrition knowledge predicts eating behavior of all food groups except fruits and vegetables among adults in the Paso del Norte region: Qué Sabrosa Vida.

OBJECTIVE

To examine the association between nutrition knowledge and eating behavior in a predominantly Mexican American population on the Texas-Mexico border.

DESIGN

Cross-sectional using data from the baseline survey of the Qué Sabrosa Vida community nutrition initiative.

SETTING

El Paso and surrounding counties in Texas.

PARTICIPANTS

Data gathered in 2000 using random-digit dialing telephone survey. Response rate was 42.6% and final sample size was 963.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Knowledge of recommended servings of food items was the independent variable and number of servings of food items consumed was the dependent variable.

DATA ANALYSIS

Multiple logistic regression was used to examine the association between nutrition knowledge and eating behavior.

RESULTS

74% of the population was Mexican American. Nutrition knowledge was a significant predictor of eating behavior for grains (odds ratio [OR] = 6.42; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.4, 17.1), dairy (OR = 2.25; 95% CI: 1.5, 3.4), meats (OR = 2.02; 95% CI: 1.5, 2.8), beans (OR = 8.18; 95% CI: 5.1, 13.0), water (OR = 2.49; 95% CI: 1.7, 3.6), but not for fruits and (nonstarchy) vegetables (OR = 1.69; 95% CI: 0.89, 3.2).

CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS

Nutrition knowledge predicts eating behavior for all food groups except fruits and vegetables. The role of cultural factors in eating behavior should be investigated to elucidate this finding. Results have implications for developing nutrition education programs for Mexican Americans.