ASU Electronic Theses and Dissertations
This collection includes most of the ASU Theses and Dissertations from 2011 to present. ASU Theses and Dissertations are available in downloadable PDF format; however, a small percentage of items are under embargo. Information about the dissertations/theses includes degree information, committee members, an abstract, supporting data or media.
In addition to the electronic theses found in the ASU Digital Repository, ASU Theses and Dissertations can be found in the ASU Library Catalog.
Dissertations and Theses granted by Arizona State University are archived and made available through a joint effort of the ASU Graduate College and the ASU Libraries. For more information or questions about this collection contact or visit the Digital Repository ETD Library Guide or contact the ASU Graduate College at gradformat@asu.edu.
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- All Subjects: Nutrition
Methods. Latinx parents and their 6th-8th grade children were recruited from eligible middle schools in Maricopa County to participate in a larger intervention study. A sample of parent-youth dyads from the first cohort of the larger study was selected for cross-sectional analysis of baseline data in this study (n=124). Participants completed a survey requesting demographics, family meal habits, and dietary intake. Participants were asked to report annual income, education level, and number of family meals in the home in the past week. They were also asked to complete an Acculturation Rating Scale for Mexican Americans, a 6-item Household Food Security Questionnaire, and a 26-question Dietary Screener Questionnaire. Analyses were run using Spearman’s Rank Correlation test and a Chi Square test of Independence.
Results. Mean daily youth intake of FV was 2.7 ± 1.4 cup equivalents, and daily youth intake of sugars from SSBs was 8.6 ± 4.9 teaspoon equivalents per day. Fifty percent of parents reported 7 or more family meals per week, while 38.7% reported 3-6 family meals per week and 11.3% reported 2 or fewer family meals per week. There was no significant association between family meal frequency and youth FV (r=-0.154; p=0.256) or added sugar from SSBs (r=0.027; p=0.807) intake. Similarly, results from Chi Square analyses suggested there was no association between family meal frequency and parent income level (p=0.392), Mexican-oriented acculturation level (p=0.591), Anglo-oriented acculturation level (p=0.052) and food insecurity (p=0.754). In contrast, a significant association between parent education and family meal frequency was found (p=0.014).
Conclusions. Parent education may play a role in shaping family meal practices in Latinx families. More research is needed to further understand this relationship and the relationship between family meal habits and youth dietary intake.