Adherence to a Low-fat Diet in African American Adolescents

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): In response to Program Announcement 04-147 inviting the submission of applications that address developmental research in cancer prevention, the proposed research will examine the predictive utility of a model for understanding adherence to a low-fat diet in economically disadvantaged Black adolescents. Measures for assessing behaviors related to selecting a low-fat diet and motivational readiness to adopt these behaviors among economically disadvantaged African American adolescents aged 11 through 14 years will be developed. Initial item pools for the planned measures will be written. Item pools will undergo review by an expert panel and sample of 40 representatives of the target population and will be revised based on feedback from these referents. The scales will be administered to a sample of 300 economically disadvantaged Black adolescents. The measurement structure, internal consistency reliability, and criterion validity of scales for measuring behaviors related to selecting a low-fat diet and the sensitivity, specificity, and predictive value of algorithms for classifying respondents according to their motivational readiness to adopt these behaviors will be examined. Data provided by youths will inform understanding of fat-reduction behaviors that have salience for the target population and examine whether representatives of this population vary in their readiness to adopt the behaviors identified. Hierarchical linear modeling will examine the predictive utility of the proposed model of adolescent fat intake. Should the proposed model predict fat intake at a level higher than that reflected in the literature on models for predicting this behavior, findings from the research will advance understanding of low-fat eating in African American adolescents. Findings will provide data on which to base interventions to promote low-fat eating in this population.