title: Characteristics of Youth Food Preparation in Low-Income, African American Homes: Associations with Healthy Eating Index Scores.
abstract: This study explores food preparation behaviors, including types of food prepared, methods of preparation, and frequency of preparation of low-income urban African American youth ages 9-15 in Baltimore City (n = 289) and analyzes a potential association to diet quality as measured through Healthy Eating Index 2010 (HEI) scores. Overall, the youth prepared their own food 6.7 ± 0.33 times per week without significant differences between age groups or genders as measured through pairwise comparison of means. Cereal, noodles, and sandwiches were amongst the foods prepared most frequently. Linear regression analysis found youth food preparation frequency was not significantly associated with total HEI (p = 0.59), sodium (p = 0.58), empty calories (p = 0.96), or dairy scores (p = 0.12). Younger age was associated with higher total HEI scores (p = 0.012) and higher dairy scores (p = 0.01) and female gender was associated with higher total HEI scores (p = 0.03), higher sodium scores (p = 0.03), and lower dairy scores (p = 0.008).
authors.affiliation: a Global Obesity Prevention Center, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health , Baltimore , Maryland , USA.
authors.forename: Melissa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sattler
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Hopkins
authors.forename: Elizabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Anderson Steeves
authors.forename: Angelica
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cristello
authors.forename: Morgan
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mccloskey
authors.forename: Joel
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Gittelsohn
authors.forename: Kristen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hurley
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001741:Black or African American; D015142:Baltimore; D002648:Child; D003296:Cooking; D004032:Diet / Q000592:standards*; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009765:Obesity; D011203:Poverty
keywords: Baltimore City; childhood obesity; cooking; diet quality; food preparation; healthy eating index