Exploring Nutrition Literacy in the Lower Mississippi Delta

描述(申请人提供)：营养素养可以被定义为“获得、处理和理解做出适当饮食决定所需的基本营养信息的能力”。这项R03横断面研究的主要目标是探索处理和理解营养信息的能力与饮食质量之间的关系，特别是采用2005年美国人膳食指南(2005DG)。次要目标是描述获得营养信息的能力，包括对2005年DG的认识、媒体曝光的主要模式、接触营养信息的类型和程度、可靠的营养信息来源以及寻求营养信息的障碍。根据教育成就，将对居住在阿肯色州和路易斯安那州下密西西比河三角洲(Delta)农村县的400名参与者进行按比例配额抽样。调查工具包括经过验证的最新生命体征(NVS)、国家癌症研究所健康信息全国趋势调查(HINTS)的改编版本和经过验证的食物频率问卷(FFQ)。通过对NVS得分、营养信息搜寻和浏览行为(SSB)、教育程度、收入水平、年龄、种族和性别对饮食质量得分的回归，将使用适度的多元回归分析策略来确定主效应和交互效应。将使用描述性统计方法，包括平均值、标准差和频率来总结获取营养信息的能力。研究结果将确定营养素养和饮食质量之间的关系，描述用于获取营养信息的做法，并建立营养素养基线数据。这项研究将有助于确定适当的渠道来交流以科学为基础的营养信息，满足三角洲居民的营养素养需求。研究人员和营养教育者可以利用这项研究的结果来制定适当的营养干预措施和媒体战略，以促进采用饮食指南所定义的健康行为。与公共健康相关：如果不把重点放在了解和提高营养素养上，营养建议，包括2005年《美国人膳食指南》的影响就会大大减弱。我们必须努力了解营养素养和饮食行为之间的关系，并确定寻求营养信息的障碍，以便为居住在下密西西比河三角洲的弱势美国人制定更有效的沟通策略。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Nutrition literacy may be defined as "the capacity to obtain, process, and understand basic nutrition information needed to make appropriate dietary decisions." The primary objective of this R03 cross-sectional study is to explore the relationship between capacities to process and understand nutrition information and diet quality, specifically adoption of the 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans (2005 DG). The secondary objective is to describe the capacity to obtain nutrition information, including awareness of the 2005 DG, predominant patterns of media exposure, type and level of exposure to nutrition information, trusted sources of nutrition information, and barriers to seeking nutrition information. A proportional quota sample, based on educational achievement, of 400 participants residing in the rural Lower Mississippi Delta (Delta) counties of Arkansas and Louisiana will be surveyed. Survey instruments include the validated Newest Vital Sign (NVS), an adapted version of National Cancer Institutes' Health Information National Trends Survey (HINTS), and a validated food frequency questionnaire (FFQ). A moderated multiple regression analytic strategy will be used to determine main and interaction effects by regressing NVS scores, nutrition information seeking and scanning behavior (SSB), education level, income level, age, race, and gender on diet quality scores. Descriptive statistics including means, standard deviations, and frequencies will be used to summarize the capacity to obtain nutrition information. Research results will identify a relationship between nutrition literacy and diet quality, describe practices used to obtain nutrition information, and establish nutrition literacy baseline data. This research will help determine appropriate channels to communicate scientifically-based nutrition information that meets the nutrition literacy needs of Delta residents. Researchers and nutrition educators could utilize the results of this research to develop appropriate nutrition interventions and media strategies that would promote the adoption of healthy behaviors as defined by the Dietary Guidelines. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: The impacts of nutrition recommendations, including the 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, are greatly diminished without focused attention on understanding and improving nutrition literacy. We must strive to understand the relationship between nutrition literacy and dietary behaviors, and identify barriers to seeking nutrition information in order to create more effective communication strategies for disadvantaged Americans residing in the Lower Mississippi Delta.