Improving dietary behavior in African Americans: the Parents As Teachers High 5, Low Fat Program.
BACKGROUND
The High 5, Low Fat Program (H5LF) for African American parents was developed in partnership with the Parents As Teachers program, and was designed to test a dietary intervention appropriate for national adoption.


METHODS
H5LF used a group randomized, nested cohort design with 738 parents. Consistent with organizational goals and methods, parent educators delivered a dietary change program via personal visits, newsletters, and group meetings. Primary outcomes were reducing percentage calories from fat and increasing fruit and vegetable consumption among participating parents; intermediate aims included improving in nutrition-related skills and parental modeling of dietary behaviors.


RESULTS
H5LF parents achieved a 0.53 increase in fruit and vegetable consumption (P = 0.03), and a higher proportion of H5LF parents reduced their intake to less than 30% calories from fat (chi(2) = 4.8, P < 0.03; -1.7% calories from fat, p = 0.07) and improved performance of dietary behaviors (F = 14.2, P = 0.004). Improvements in parental modeling were not statistically significant.


CONCLUSIONS
H5LF is an effective intervention that is appropriate for national adoption by over 2000 Parents As Teachers sites with the potential to impact dietary intake of African American parents nationwide.
Haire-Joshu
Debra
D
Saint Louis University School of Public Health, St. Louis, MO 63104, USA. joshud@slu.edu
Brownson
Ross C
RC
Nanney
M S
MS
Houston
Cheryl
C
Steger-May
Karen
K
Schechtman
Kenneth
K
Auslander
Wendy
W
D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American / Q000523:psychology*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D018752:Diet, Fat-Restricted / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D004041:Dietary Fats / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000009:adverse effects; D005247:Feeding Behavior / Q000208:ethnology*; D015438:Health Behavior; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006801:Humans; D008923:Missouri; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000208:ethnology / Q000209:etiology; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care; D016487:Parenting / Q000208:ethnology; D010290:Parents / Q000193:education / Q000523:psychology*; D015397:Program Evaluation
D004041:Dietary Fats