Diet Quality of Marshallese Mothers of Young Children in Northwest Arkansas: An Exploratory Study
ABSTRACT Objective: To characterize the dietary patterns of Marshallese mothers of young children in Northwest Arkansas, informing the cultural adaptation of nutrition education curricula. Design: An exploratory cross-sectional study was conducted, in which Marshallese women with children under...
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| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Cambridge University Press
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| Series: | Public Health Nutrition |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S1368980025100918/type/journal_article |
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| Summary: | ABSTRACT
Objective:
To characterize the dietary patterns of Marshallese mothers of young children in Northwest Arkansas, informing the cultural adaptation of nutrition education curricula.
Design:
An exploratory cross-sectional study was conducted, in which Marshallese women with children under 12 months completed 3 telephone-administered 24-hour dietary recalls with a trained bilingual Marshallese interviewer. Diet quality was characterized using the Healthy Eating Index (HEI)-2020. A food-level analysis identified top food groupings contributing to total energy and HEI-2020 components.
Setting:
Northwest Arkansas.
Participants:
Marshallese mothers with children <12 months.
Results:
29 women were recruited, 20 completed 2 or 3 dietary recalls. Median age was 25.5 years. Diet quality by HEI-2020 was 46.4 (max score 100). White rice was the top contributor to total energy; high seafood/plant protein and fatty acid diet quality component scores were influenced by high fish intakes.
Conclusions:
Diet quality was low. Key adaptations include reducing rice portion sizes, while emphasizing lean proteins and fruits/vegetables. Cultural adaptation of nutrition education is essential to improve diet quality among communities with varying dietary practices.
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| ISSN: | 1368-9800 1475-2727 |