Community Assessment of Twin Towers, Dayton, Ohio: Dietary-Related Psychosocial and Cultural Factors

The Twin Towers is a low-income neighborhood in southeast Dayton and has a high prevalence of overweight and obese residents. The main objective for this assessment was to determine the dietary-related psychosocial and cultural factors that affect the dietary intake patterns of people residing in this neighborhood. Values, beliefs, social norms, tradition, taste preferences, and self-efficacy were analyzed within the community through a questionnaire distributed at the East End Community Center, along with various secondary peer-reviewed sources. It was found that nutrition knowledge was not the main barrier to a healthy diet, but self-efficacy, taste preference and lack of cooking tools and skills contributed to an inadequate diet. This data collection allowed the development of an intervention to implement within the community in order to improve the diet quality of people residing in this neighborhood. Due to these identified barriers, we suggest interventions regarding self-efficacy and the implementation of nutrition-related skills.https://ecommons.udayton.edu/stander_posters/2625/thumbnail.jp