Association of a Traditional vs Shared Meal Decision-Making and Preparation Style with Eating Behavior of Hispanic Women in San Diego County

ObjectiveTo examine the influence of meal decision-making and preparation on Hispanic women’s dietary practices.DesignOne-on-one structured interviews were conducted, assessing meal decision-making and preparation practices, barriers, and behavioral strategies to eating low-fat and high-fiber diets, fat and fiber intake, demographic, and other psychosocial factors.Subjects/settingThe study population included 357 Hispanic women living in the southern or central regions of San Diego County. Participants were recruited via random-digit dialing to a tailored nutrition communication intervention.Main Outcome MeasureHousehold decision-making style (alone vs with family) by household activity (decides meals, prepares meals, and decides snacks).Statistical Analyses PerformedMultiple logistic regressions were used to evaluate associations between the predictors and dependent variable. All models included adjustments for potential confounders, such as marital status, education, employment, age, and acculturation.ResultsA positive statistical association between Hispanic women’s acculturation level and shared decision-making style was found. Also, Hispanic women in shared decision-making households faced greater psychosocial barriers to healthful eating and reported less healthful eating compared with Hispanic women in traditional households. Women in shared decision-making households were more likely to eat at fast-food restaurants, less likely to engage in behavioral strategies promoting fiber consumption, eat more saturated fat, and encounter more barriers to reduce dietary fat as compared with Hispanic women in traditional households. Acculturation did not attenuate differences in psychosocial and dietary practices between shared decision-making and traditional households.ConclusionsStudy findings suggest intervention efforts should focus on different aspects of healthful eating among Hispanic women in shared-decision, compared with traditional, households.