Abstract B37: Negative affect and fruit/vegetable consumption: The nature of the relation differs by race/ethnicity

Abstract

Abstract Dietary practices, including low fruit and vegetable consumption, are associated with risk for multiple cancers. Some work has shown that negative affectivity is associated with lower fruit and vegetable consumption. Previous work from our lab has shown that smoking behavior is differently associated with negative affectivity as a function of race/ethnicity. Given this evidence, it is plausible that the relationship between negative affectivity and fruit/vegetable consumption might also differ by race. To examine this question, data from the National Cancer Institute's Health Information National Trends Survey (HINTS) were used. Respondents reported current negative affect, daily fruit and vegetable consumption, and race. Linear regression analyses examined race, negative affect, and their interaction as predictors of fruit/vegetable consumption. Race analyses compared White (n=5445) to Black (n=687) respondents. Analyses controlled for demographics and were run in STATA10 using complex survey design techniques to account for the HINTS sampling design. For the overall sample, there was a significant relation between negative affect and fruit/vegetable consumption; r=-.15, p < .05. However, this effect was qualified by a marginally significant race x negative affect interaction; f=1.74, p=0.08. When examined separately by race, the relation of negative affectivity to behavior was significant for White (f=2.73, p < .05) but not Black respondents (f < 1, ns). These findings indicate that the relation of negative affect to fruit/vegetable consumption may differ by race/ethnicity and may be more applicable to White individuals. This has implications for understanding factors that influence dietary behavior and for developing intervention strategies to address diet for members of racial/ethnic minority groups. Citation Information: Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2010;19(10 Suppl):B37.