Knowledge of nutrition and health topics, confidence, and intent for lifestyle change among Latinos

The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of age, marital status, household size, and number of years residing in the United States on knowledge of nutrition and health topics, confidence, and intent for lifestyle change among Latinos. Specifically, the population being studied was from the Long Beach area in southern California. Data were obtained from a larger, childhood obesity prevention intervention, Sanos y Fuertes, which collected demographic and behavioral surveys from Latino families with children between the ages of 2 and 8 years old. Significant differences for knowledge, confidence, and intent were detected between different age groups. Further research needs to be conducted to expand on the understanding of the variables researched in this thesis in order to further understand the complexity of the multiple influences on healthy behaviors. This will serve as a stepping-stone towards alleviating health disparities, and creating health equity among minority groups