Low prevalence of healthful dietary behavior in a California agricultural county: Emphasis on white and Mexican-American adults

Abstract

In 1989, the National Academy of Sciences recommended that to lower the risk of chronic diseases, Americans should reduce dietary fat intake to 30% or less of energy, and should consume a daily diet that includes five or more servings of fruits and vegetables and six or more servings of breads, cereals, and legumes ( 1. Committee on Diet and Health, Food and Nutrition Board Diet and Health: Implications for Reducing Chronic Disease Risk. National Academy Press, Washington, DC1989 Google Scholar ). Other national health authorities have recommended similar guidelines ( 2. Diet, Nutrition and Cancer Prevention: A Guide to Food Choices. 4th ed. DHHS (NIH) publication 87-2878. National Cancer Institute, US Dept of Health and Human Services, Washington, DC1987 Google Scholar , 3. The Surgeon General's Report on Nutrition and Health. 4th ed. DHHS (PHS) publication 88-50210. US Dept of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, Washington, DC1988 Google Scholar , 4. American Cancer Society Nutrition and cancer: cause and prevention. Cancer. 1984; 34: 121-126 Google Scholar ). Nevertheless, results from two national surveys indicate a large discrepancy between scientific recommendations and public behavior ( 5. Patterson B Block G Rosenberger W Pee D Kahle L Fruit and vegetables in the American diet: data from the NHANES II survey. Am J Public Health. 1990; 80: 1443-1449 Google Scholar , 6. Food and Nutrient Intakes of Individuals in 1 Day in the United States, Spring 1977: Nationwide Food Consumption Survey 1977–1978. 4th ed. Preliminary report 2. Consumer Nutrition Center, US Dept of Agriculture, Hyattsville, Md1980 Google Scholar , 7. Kant A Block G Schatzkin A Ziegler R Nestle M Dietary diversity in the US population, NHANES II, 1976–1980. J Am Diet Assoc. 1991; 91: 1526-1531 Google Scholar ). In an attempt to address this situation, the Institute of Medicine reviewed barriers to implementing these guidelines and emphasized the need to put the recommendations into practice ( 8. Committee on Dietary Guidelines Implementation, Food and Nutrition Board, Institute of Medicine Improving America's Diet and Health—From Recommendations to Action. National Academy Press, Washington, DC1991 Google Scholar ).