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MA/PhD Theses Abstracts of Current Students & Alumni |
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Cuenca, Kirsten (MA), Comparison of diet and nutrient intake of two ethnically-different elderly populations (Baer), 2003.
Using approaches from both Anthropology and Epidemiology, this thesis compared the food habits of a representative population of older African Americans (AA) and a representative population of older European Americans (NHW). Data analyzed were from two studies of independently living elderly populations in central Florida, The Hillsborough Elder African-American Life Study (HEALS) and the Charlotte County Healthy Aging Study (CCHAS). The analysis presented illustrates the difficulty with using racially-based demographic categories in investigations of differences in disease distribution and behaviorally based predictors of disease, among ethnic groups.
The objectives of this thesis were 1) to describe in detail the diet, nutrient intake, and health status of two elderly populations, identifying the characteristics that are associated with dietary habits of these populations, and 2) to consider the utility of the approach scientific studies have traditionally used to understand and identify ethnic differences in behavior—i.e., the use of either “race” or census categories to capture ethnic differences.
Descriptive comparisons of food and consumption habits among individuals in each study population were conducted in order to understand factors that may influence the food habits of individuals, and identify diets characteristic of each population. The AA in this study were much more likely to consume adequate nutrients and meet the U.S. recommended dietary guidelines than the NHW. AA, however, particularly those with greater incomes, were more likely to overconsume, or eat more than the recommended number of food servings, and consumed more fat and cholesterol than NHW. However, both populations had similar rates of obesity, and the average cholesterol and triglyceride levels of the AA were closer to recommended guidelines than the NHW.
Concerns about these findings are expressed, however, because analysis suggests that while the AA category may have captured a cohesive ethnic group with shared cultural and dietary practices, the NHW category included a very diverse group with dissimilar geographic, cultural, and dietary experiences. Conclusions suggest that future investigations of culturally based differences in behavior should consider the utility of racially based systems, like census categories, for capturing human variation. More appropriate approaches for these types of studies should be developed.
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