Behavioral predictors of low fat intake among economically disadvantaged African-American adolescents.
OBJECTIVE
To determine whether five behaviors shown to predict low fat intake in adults predicted low fat intake among economically disadvantaged African-American adolescents.


METHODS
Cross-sectional.


METHODS
Recruited through youth services agencies serving low-income communities in New York and New Jersey, participants were 265 African-American adolescents aged 10 to 14 years. Participants completed the Block Fat Screener and scales for measuring the following behaviors: avoiding fat as a seasoning modifying meat to make it lower in fat, substituting high-fat foods with manufactured low-fat equivalents, replacing high-fat foods with fruits and vegetables, and replacing high-fat foods with low fat foods other than fruits and vegetables.


METHODS
The reliability and construct validity of the scales were assessed using internal consistency reliability and correlation analyses. Multiple regression analysis was used to determine behavioral predictors of low fat intake.


RESULTS
Scale coefficient alphas ranged from .60 to. 80. Fat avoidance, substitution, and replacement with fruits and vegetables were significantly associated with fat intake. The regression equation containing these behaviors accounted for 12% of the variance in intake. All three behaviors were significant predictors of low fat intake.


CONCLUSIONS
Fewer behaviors have salience for predicting low fat intake among economically disadvantaged African-American adolescents than among adults. Interventions to lower youths' intake should emphasize fat avoidance, substitution, and replacement with fruits and vegetables.
Department of Sociology, William Paterson University, Wayne, NJ 07470, USA. dinoiaj@wpunj.edu
Jennifer
J
Di Noia
Isobel R
IR
Contento
D000293:Adolescent; D001741:Black or African American; D002648:Child; D016001:Confidence Intervals; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D018752:Diet, Fat-Restricted / Q000208:ethnology; D004041:Dietary Fats / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D005247:Feeding Behavior / Q000208:ethnology*; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior / Q000208:ethnology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009515:New Jersey; D009518:New York; D009752:Nutritional Status / Q000208:ethnology*; D011203:Poverty / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012307:Risk Factors; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013223:Statistics as Topic
D004041:Dietary Fats