142nd APHA Annual Meeting and Exposition

Annual Meeting Recordings are now available for purchase

307410
Descriptive Assessment of the Home Food Environment in a Diverse Sample of Families with School-Aged Children

142nd APHA Annual Meeting and Exposition (November 15 - November 19, 2014): http://www.apha.org/events-and-meetings/annual
Monday, November 17, 2014 : 3:10 PM - 3:30 PM

Rachel Cassinat , School of Nutrition and Health Promotion, Arizona State University, Phoenix, AZ
Sonia Vega-López, PhD , School of Nutrition and Health Promotion, Arizona State University, Phoenix, AZ
Adrian Chavez , School of Nutrition and Health Promotion, Arizona State University, Phoenix, AZ
Noe C. Crespo, PhD, MPH, MS , School of Nutrition and Health Promotion, Arizona State University, Phoenix, AZ
Meg Bruening, PhD, MPH, RD , School of Nutrition and Health Promotion, Arizona State University, Phoenix, AZ
Background:  Availability of foods in the home influences children’s dietary behaviors.  It is important to understand the home food environment (HFEnv) to better develop intervention strategies aimed to increase healthy options in the home.

Objective:Describe and characterize the HFEnv in households with children 6-11 years old living in an ethnically diverse community within a Southwestern metropolitan area.

Methods:  The HFEnv was assessed using a modified version of the Home Food Inventory, adapted for cultural appropriateness of foods.  This inventory focused on food availability and variety of fruits, vegetables, and sugar-containing foods.

Results:Participants (n=13) were 69% Latino; mean household size was 2.8 adults (range 1-7) and 2.6 children (range 1-5).  Families had 8.1±2.2 different fruits (range 4-11) and 6.9±3.2 different vegetables (range 1-10) available in their homes.  Sugar-sweetened beverages were present in all households (n=13), with fruit-flavored drinks being the most common (69% of households) and ice cream was available in 69% of households.  Households had 3.3±2.3 different types of sweets, with cookies, cupcakes, brownies, snack cakes, and donuts being available in 54%, 39%, 31%, 54%, and 46% of households, respectively.  Breakfast cereals were present in 92% of households with equal amounts of sugary (2.3±1.5) and non-sugary (2.3±1.7) cereals available.

Conclusions: These preliminary data show that there is significant opportunity to increase availability of fruits and vegetables and reduce availability of sugar-containing products in the homes of participants in our sample. Interventions are need that focus on modifying the HFEnv to promote healthier eating behaviors of children.

Learning Areas:

Assessment of individual and community needs for health education
Chronic disease management and prevention
Diversity and culture
Planning of health education strategies, interventions, and programs
Public health or related education
Public health or related research

Learning Objectives:
Describe an approach to assessing household food availability. Identify 2 potential targets for intervention strategies to modify the home food environment.

Keyword(s): Nutrition, Community Health Assessment

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am a MS student presenting my thesis research.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.