Rural versus urban Texas WIC participants' fruit and vegetable consumption.

OBJECTIVE: To explore fruit and vegetable (F&V) consumption among urban and rural Black Texas WIC participants. METHODS: The study included 673 WIC mothers and their 351 children from the TEXFAN study. T-tests, Pearson chi-squared test, and regressions were performed. RESULTS: Among children, differences were found for fruit consumption but not vegetable. Urban children were offered and consumed a greater variety of F&V. Mothers' F&V intake was related to age, pregnancy status, and breastfeeding status. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides insight into a subsection of the WIC population. Further research should be done regarding increasing the amount and variety of F&V consumed by WIC women and children.

Evaluating the feasibility of utilizing the Automated Self-administered 24-hour (ASA24) dietary recall in a sample of multiethnic older adults.

The ASA24 is a web application which enables the collection of self-administered dietary recalls thus utilizing technology to overcome some of the limitations of traditional assessment methodologies. Older adults, particularly those from certain ethnic groups may have less access to and may be less receptive to technology. This research sought to determine the level of access to the internet as well as evaluate the feasibility of using a web-based alternative dietary data collection method in older, multiethnic adults. Participants completed three telephone administered diet recalls (n=347), and were asked to complete a one day recall via the ASA24. They were also asked to evaluate their experience with using the ASA24 system. Almost 60% of the participants reported no access to a computer or internet access, with African Americans and Latinos less likely than non-Hispanic Whites and Japanese-Americans to have access. Of those with access to the internet (n=100), 44% of the participants accessed the ASA24 system and 37% successfully launched the ASA24 program. However, most respondents preferred the traditional diet recall methodology over the ASA24. Further research is needed to investigate recruitment and use of electronic data collection methodologies in older adults.

Perceptions of preventive health care and healthy lifestyle choices for low income families: a qualitative study.

This paper examines Head Start parents' perceptions of preventive health and healthy lifestyle choices and Head Start administrators' perceptions of the needs of parents they serve. To address the preventive health of the population, it is necessary that we explore perceptions, risks, and protective factors of preventive health. Focus groups were conducted with parents and administrators to elicit this information and to obtain suggestions for improving preventive health and healthy lifestyle choices among this group. Overall, nutrition and physical activity emerged as themes in parents' definition of preventive health and healthy lifestyle choices. They further identified social support and education as major protective factors for engaging in preventive health and healthy lifestyle choices. Results of this study can be used to inform research and practice to develop interventions to increase preventive health and healthy lifestyle choices among low income families.

Novel technologies for assessing dietary intake: evaluating the usability of a mobile telephone food record among adults and adolescents.

BACKGROUND: The development of a mobile telephone food record has the potential to ameliorate much of the burden associated with current methods of dietary assessment. When using the mobile telephone food record, respondents capture an image of their foods and beverages before and after eating. Methods of image analysis and volume estimation allow for automatic identification and volume estimation of foods. To obtain a suitable image, all foods and beverages and a fiducial marker must be included in the image. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate a defined set of skills among adolescents and adults when using the mobile telephone food record to capture images and to compare the perceptions and preferences between adults and adolescents regarding their use of the mobile telephone food record. METHODS: We recruited 135 volunteers (78 adolescents, 57 adults) to use the mobile telephone food record for one or two meals under controlled conditions. Volunteers received instruction for using the mobile telephone food record prior to their first meal, captured images of foods and beverages before and after eating, and participated in a feedback session. We used chi-square for comparisons of the set of skills, preferences, and perceptions between the adults and adolescents, and McNemar test for comparisons within the adolescents and adults. RESULTS: Adults were more likely than adolescents to include all foods and beverages in the before and after images, but both age groups had difficulty including the entire fiducial marker. Compared with adolescents, significantly more adults had to capture more than one image before (38% vs 58%, P = .03) and after (25% vs 50%, P = .008) meal session 1 to obtain a suitable image. Despite being less efficient when using the mobile telephone food record, adults were more likely than adolescents to perceive remembering to capture images as easy (P < .001). CONCLUSIONS: A majority of both age groups were able to follow the defined set of skills; however, adults were less efficient when using the mobile telephone food record. Additional interactive training will likely be necessary for all users to provide extra practice in capturing images before entering a free-living situation. These results will inform age-specific development of the mobile telephone food record that may translate to a more accurate method of dietary assessment.