Sociodemographic Correlates of Dietary Practices among Asian-Americans: Results from the California Health Interview Survey

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: Studies show that Asian-American subgroups do not always meet dietary recommendations and are at high risk of cardiovascular diseases. The purpose of our research is to illustrate the various sociodemographic correlates of dietary habits for six subgroups of Asian-Americans in California. DESIGN: The 2005 California Health Interview Survey (CHIS) was utilized. A total of 3772 Asian-Americans were included in this study, with the largest subgroup being Chinese (n = 1280; N = 913,798). The outcome variable for this study was dietary behavior defined as consuming five or more fruits and vegetables per day (5-a-day), provided by CHIS. Univariate and multivariable regression analyses were conducted accounting for complex survey design. RESULTS: Being a female (Chinese, Filipina, Korean, and Vietnamese), not being married (Chinese), not being a college graduate (Chinese), living in poverty (South Asian), and speaking only English language at home (Chinese and Japanese) were associated with higher odds of not meeting a 5-a-day requirement. CONCLUSION: Results highlighted several sociodemographic correlates to not meeting 5-a-day requirement among six Asian-American subgroups. Targeted health promotion measures for such at-risk groups should be implemented to improve dietary practices.