Culturally relevant nutrition education improves dietary quality among WIC-eligible Vietnamese immigrants.
OBJECTIVE
To provide culturally appropriate nutrition education to improve the diets of Vietnamese women.


METHODS
A total of 152 homemakers were recruited to participate in a nutrition education project, with 76 receiving the intervention and 76 serving as the control group.


METHODS
Non-English-speaking women eligible for the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) with incomes below 185% of the poverty level living in 5 California counties.


METHODS
Bicultural, bilingual Vietnamese-American nutrition education assistants taught 5 to 7 lessons in the Vietnamese language using nutrition education materials written in the Vietnamese language by 2 bilingual, bicultural nutritionists.


METHODS
Twenty-four-hour food recalls were obtained before and after the 8-week interval on the treatment and control groups.


METHODS
To examine if there were changes over time in nutrient intake and nutrient density within groups, matched pair t tests were done. Analysis of covariance techniques determined differences between groups. McNemar tests determined if, within groups, there were changes over time in food groups consumed. Chi-square techniques determined changes between groups.


RESULTS
Over time, the number of treatment group participants who had at least one serving from each food group (P <.01), and who had the recommended number of servings from each food group (P <.05), significantly increased in comparison to the control group. Over time, the dietary nutrient density of calcium, riboflavin, and vitamin B6 (P <.05), as well as potassium (P <.01), of treatment group participants significantly improved in comparison to the control group.


CONCLUSIONS
With training, bilingual, bicultural women can effectively deliver culturally relevant nutrition education to their peers.
Ikeda
Joanne P
JP
Department of Nutritional Sciences, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720, USA. jikeda@socrates.berkeley.edu
Pham
Loan
L
Nguyen
Kim-Phuc
KP
Mitchell
Rita Allhoff
RA
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D004032:Diet / Q000592:standards*; D005247:Feeding Behavior / Q000208:ethnology; D005260:Female; D005522:Food Services; D006801:Humans; D011939:Mental Recall; D008875:Middle Aged; D052756:Nutritional Sciences / Q000193:education*; D014481:United States; D014744:Vietnam / Q000208:ethnology