Characteristics and Dietary Patterns of Adolescents Who Value Eating Locally Grown, Organic, Nongenetically Engineered, and Nonprocessed Food
Abstract
Objective
To examine characteristics of adolescents who value eating locally grown, organic, nongenetically engineered, and/or nonprocessed food and whether they are more likely than their peers to meet Healthy People 2010 dietary objectives.
Design
Cross-sectional analysis using data from a population-based study in Minnesota (Project EAT: Eating Among Teens).
Setting
Participants completed a mailed survey and food frequency questionnaire in 2004.
Participants
Males and females (N = 2516), ages 15-23 years.
Main Outcome Measures
Dietary intake of fruit, vegetables, fat, grains, calcium, and fast food.
Analysis
Chi-square tests, logistic regression models adjusting for race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and vegetarian status.
Results
Percentages of adolescents who reported that it was somewhat or very important that their food be locally grown, organic, nongenetically engineered, and nonprocessed were 20.9%, 23.2%, 34.1%, and 29.8%, respectively. Those who valued each practice were more likely than their peers to be nonwhite (P < .001) and have a low socioeconomic status (P < .001). Adolescents who valued ≥ 2 practices were more likely than their peers to have a dietary pattern consistent with the Healthy People 2010 objectives (P < .001) for fruit, vegetable, and fat intake.
Conclusions and Implications
It may beneficial to discuss alternative food production practices as part of nutrition education programs for adolescents.
1Nutrition Department, College of Saint Benedict and Saint John's University, St Joseph, Minnesota
2Division of Epidemiology and Community Health, School of Public Health, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis
Address for correspondence: Ramona Robinson-O'Brien, PhD, RD, Assistant Professor, Nutrition Department, College of Saint Benedict and Saint John's University, 37 South College Avenue, St. Joseph, MN 56374; Phone: (320) 363-5781
Data collection was supported by grant R40 MC 00319 (DN-S, principal investigator) from the Maternal and Child Health Bureau (Title V, Social Security Act), Health Resources and Service Administration, and the United States Department of Health and Human Services. Analyses were supported in part by the Adolescent Health Protection Program (School of Nursing, University of Minnesota) grant number T01-DP000112 (PI: Bearinger) from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
ABSTRACT