DIETARY-FAT PATTERNS IN URBAN AFRICAN-AMERICAN WOMEN

The purpose of this study was to describe the scope of fatty food pref erences of urban African American women and to examine factors associa ted with the selection of high fat foods. A volunteer sample of urban African American women churchgoers were invited for dietary and risk f actor screening at health fairs held following Sunday services. A stan dardized instrument, the Fat Intake Scale (FIS), was administered prim arily by dietitians to estimate dietary fat intake and usual food choi ces. A sum score of 25 or more is thought to be associated with higher fat and cholesterol intake. As a validation of the FIS, a 24-hour rec all was administered to a subsample. Sociodemographics, smoking status and comorbidity were assessed by self-report. Body weight, height, an d total brood serum cholesterol were assessed using standardized measu rement techniques. In the 521 participating women, 61% were classified as obese based on national reference norms for body mass index (BMI). More than 81% had an FIS of 25 or greater. On multiple logistic regre ssion analysis, significant predictors of a higher fat diet (FIS great er than or equal to 25) included age greater than 45 years, obesity, a nd the absence of comorbidity. These findings suggest that there are i ndependent predictors of selection of a diet high in fat. This has imp lications for planning and targeting community-based nutrition interve ntions for African American women who exhibit among the highest rates of obesity in the U.S. and who suffer an excess burden of obesity-rela ted diseases.