African-American adolescents' food choices and perceptions of future health status

Adolescence is a time of extensive physical, cognitive, emotional, and social change. Attitudes about nutrition and behavioral patterns of diet and physical activity developed in childhood often crystallize in adolescence and persist through adulthood. African Americans experience a higher prevalence of several major health problems, including obesity and hypertension, than many other ethnic groups, thus making African-American adolescents a prime target group for health promotion interventions. The purpose of this study was twofold: to assess African-American adolescents' perceptions about factors influencing their current food choices and eating behaviors, and how these behaviors might impact future health status. The subjects were 24 adolescents from an inner-city church between ages 14 and 19. A moderator conducted four focus groups with six members in each group, and each focus group lasted approximately 45 minutes. All interviews were audio taped and transcribed verbatim. A transcript-based analysis was used to analyze content for the focus groups. Key words, phrases, and quotations were examined to identify emerging themes. The factors that most influenced food choices among African-American adolescents were parental influence, taste, time constraints, body image, food availability, peers, television, and situational factors. Findings from this study suggest that influences on African-American adolescents' food choices are similar to those of other adolescent groups. Results indicate that a nutrition intervention that stresses future health outcomes would be ineffective, especially for the younger adolescents because these participants had difficulty accepting their future health status. The Social Cognitive Theory is suggested as an appropriate model for the design of a developmentally appropriate and culturally sensitive nutrition intervention for these adolescents. Ideas for school nutrition professionals to incorporate into the cafeteria and school setting also are provided.