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Research and Professional Brief
Behavioral Contexts, Food-Choice Coping Strategies, and Dietary Quality of a Multiethnic Sample of Employed Parents

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Abstract

Employed parents' work and family conditions provide behavioral contexts for their food choices. Relationships between employed parents' food-choice coping strategies, behavioral contexts, and dietary quality were evaluated. Data on work and family conditions, sociodemographic characteristics, eating behavior, and dietary intake from two 24-hour dietary recalls were collected in a random sample cross-sectional pilot telephone survey in the fall of 2006. Black, white, and Latino employed mothers (n=25) and fathers (n=25) were recruited from a low/moderate income urban area in upstate New York. Hierarchical cluster analysis (Ward's method) identified three clusters of parents differing in use of food-choice coping strategies (ie, Individualized Eating, Missing Meals, and Home Cooking). Cluster sociodemographic, work, and family characteristics were compared using χ2 and Fisher's exact tests. Cluster differences in dietary quality (Healthy Eating Index 2005) were analyzed using analysis of variance. Clusters differed significantly (P≤0.05) on food-choice coping strategies, dietary quality, and behavioral contexts (ie, work schedule, marital status, partner's employment, and number of children). Individualized Eating and Missing Meals clusters were characterized by nonstandard work hours, having a working partner, single parenthood and with family meals away from home, grabbing quick food instead of a meal, using convenience entrées at home, and missing meals or individualized eating. The Home Cooking cluster included considerably more married fathers with nonemployed spouses and more home-cooked family meals. Food-choice coping strategies affecting dietary quality reflect parents' work and family conditions. Nutritional guidance and family policy needs to consider these important behavioral contexts for family nutrition and health.

Section snippets

Participants

Employed parents were randomly recruited by the University Survey Research Institute, a full-service survey research facility, for three telephone interviews using random-digit dialing in low- to moderate-income urban zip codes in upstate New York in the fall of 2006. Eligibility criteria included working at least 20 hours/week, one or more children under age 17 years at home, and family income <$60,000/year. Each participant received a welcome letter and a food amounts estimation booklet (34).

Data Collection

Results and Discussion

Sixty-four of 465 people screened were eligible; 78% were recruited and retained for three interviews. Fifty-six parents (87.5%) completed the baseline interview; 50 of 56 (78%) completed two additional 24-hour dietary recall interviews. Fifty-six parents were included in all analyses, except those assessing associations with dietary intake where the smaller sample (n=50) was used. There were no statistically significant differences between those who completed only the baseline or all three

Conclusions

Although all working parents are busy, the work and family conditions of some make it easier for them to manage the scheduling and preparation of family meals than others. These findings show how food-choice coping strategies can be embedded in behavioral contexts that arise out of work and family roles. Research is needed to consider parents' work and family contexts along with other sociodemographic and psychosocial characteristics. To improve family nutrition, registered dietitians need to

C. E. Blake is an assistant professor, Department of Health Promotion, Education, and Behavior, Arnold School of Public Health, University of South Carolina, Columbia

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  • Cited by (0)

    C. E. Blake is an assistant professor, Department of Health Promotion, Education, and Behavior, Arnold School of Public Health, University of South Carolina, Columbia

    E. Wethington is an associate professor, Department of Human Development, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY

    T. J. Farrell is an extension associate, Division of Nutritional Sciences, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY

    C. A. Bisogni is a professor, Division of Nutritional Sciences, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY

    C. M. Devine is a professor, Division of Nutritional Sciences, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY

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