Effects of Culturally Tailored Nutrition Education on Dietary Quality of Hispanic Mothers: A Randomized Control Trial

Abstract

ObjectiveTo assess whether participation in a culturally tailored nutrition education program increases diet quality of Hispanic mothers. DesignA randomized controlled trial. SettingCommunity centers and universities. ParticipantsSixty-five mothers (35 in experimental group, 30 in control group) completed pre- and postworkshop surveys. Eligibility criteria included being of Mexican or Puerto Rican descent and having a child between the ages of 6 and 18 years who could participate in the workshops with the parent. InterventionFamilies in the experimental group participated in a 6-week workshop series that included weekly nutrition education classes. Main Outcome MeasureDiet quality was assessed by the Rate Your Plate questionnaire. AnalysisRepeated measures ANOVA was used to compare differences between the experimental and control groups. A Wilcoxon signed rank test was conducted to test for significant shifts in categorization pre- and postprogram. ResultsThere was a significant change in diet quality categorization after participating in the workshops (P < .001, effect size 0.39). No changes were found in the control group. Conclusions and ImplicationsAbriendo Caminos was effective at increasing the diet quality of Hispanic mothers who participated the most in the program. More research is needed in this at-risk population to determine the relationships among nutrition knowledge, diet quality, and achievement of healthy weight.