Dietary fat consumption, readiness to change, and ethnocultural association in midlife African American women

Abstract

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the number 1 killer of American women, with African American women disproportionately represented. Dietary fat consumption is a major risk factor for the development of CVD. This study examined the average daily diet of urban midlife African American women, specifically the relation between dietary fat, readiness to change, ethnocultural association, and selected sociodemographic variables. Three hundred days of dietary data were collected. Sixty five percent of the participants reported currently avoiding high fat food with another 25% planning to avoid high fat food. Although 90% of the participants were avoiding or planning to avoid high fat foods, 77% were consuming diets with over 30% of their calories from fat. Of 11 variables considered, ethnocultural association was the only variable found to be consistently positively related to dietary fat intake. Community dietary education for midlife African American women needs to target all, especially those with stronger cultural bonds.