Abstract P127: Associations Between Acculturation, Nutrient Intake, And Diet Quality Among Non-hispanic Black Adults In The United States

Abstract

Introduction: Consuming a nutrient poor diet can negatively affect the health status of an individual. Recent increases in African immigration into the U.S. has called for more research on the health and health behaviors of this growing population. Little is known about how acculturation (as measured by place of birth and length of time in the country) affects nutrient intake and diet quality among Non-Hispanic Blacks in the U.S. We aim to address this gap in knowledge by studying the association between acculturation, nutrient intake, and diet quality among a large sample of Non-Hispanic Black adults. Hypothesis: We hypothesize that foreign-born (FB) Blacks who immigrated to the U.S. less than 10 years ago are more likely to meet national recommendations for diet and nutrient intake compared to FB Blacks who immigrated more than 10 years ago and U.S. born Blacks. Methods: We analyzed cross-sectional data from the 2005-2016 cycles of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). The analytical sample comprised 7,073 Non-Hispanic Blacks who we categorized into three groups: FB Blacks less than 10 years (3.35%), FB Blacks greater than 10 years (7.42%), and U.S. born Blacks (89.23%). We analyzed each participant’s 24-hour recall data to determine if they met 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA) recommendations for intake of specific nutrients (e.g., saturated fat, fiber, sugar, cholesterol, sodium, etc.). We used logistic regression to assess differences across the three groups in regards to odds of meeting DGA recommendations for nutrient intake. Results: Compared to U.S. born blacks and FB Blacks (≥10 years), FB Blacks (<10 years) had significantly higher odds of meeting DGA recommendations for most nutrients after adjusting for all covariates (e.g., age, gender, education level, poverty level, etc.). Specifically, FB Blacks (<10 years) had significantly higher odds of meeting recommendations for saturated fat (OR: 2.7; 95% CI: 1.6-4.6), cholesterol (OR: 1.7; 95% CI: 1.2-2.5) and sodium intake (OR: 2.2; 95% CI: 1.2-4.3) compared to U.S. born Blacks. FB Blacks (≥ 10 years) had significantly higher odds of meeting recommendations for total fat and dietary fiber compared to U.S. born Blacks. Conclusion: FB Blacks (<10 years) had higher odds of meeting DGA guidelines for nutrient intake compared FB Blacks (≥10 years) and U.S. born Blacks. These findings further highlight the importance of acculturation and its impact on dietary intake among immigrant populations. Future studies should evaluate how acculturation influences overall health status and chronic disease risk across the African diaspora in the U.S.