| Obesity among Mexican Americans is a significant public health concern, as a recent study estimated 37% of men and 42% of women are obese, compared to 35% of all adults in the United States, making Mexican Americans at a disproportionate risk for certain obesity-related cancers. The purpose of this dissertation was to characterize healthy and culturally relevant food preparation behaviors and related psychosocial correlates among Mexican American families as an avenue for healthier eating and prevention of obesity and certain cancers. The first study found rates of overweight or obesity, select dietary behaviors, neighborhood food environment, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program receipt, acculturation, and stress significantly differed across Hispanic country-of-origin subgroups, underscoring that Hispanic is a multi-ethnic group and subgroups should be examined separately. The second study involved qualitative focus groups of Mexican American mothers, who reported often preparing food using traditional staples, food preparation behaviors were learned from maternal family members, and they believed health was influenced by foods eaten and how they were prepared. Salient factors influencing food preparation behaviors included culture and tradition, maternal family members' behaviors, self-efficacy, and attitudes toward healthy eating. Time and busy schedules were cited as barriers. These findings were used to develop a measurement tool that assessed food preparation behavior and related factors, which was pilot tested in a convenience sample of mainly Mexican American parents in Southern California for the third study. Four food preparation related psychosocial scales with acceptable internal consistency emerged: self-efficacy, perceived benefits, perceived barriers, and perceived availability of resources. Scales also demonstrated convergent validity with each other and concurrent validity with healthy food preparation behaviors. This data informed the fourth study, which showed self-efficacy was significantly associated with daily fruit and vegetable (FV) intake, perceived benefits were significantly associated with daily sugar intake and body mass index, and perceived barriers were significantly associated with FV intake. Emphasizing how food preparation can support a healthy diet, these findings can inform future surveillance, assessment, and food preparation interventions among Mexican American families. |
