The association between language acquisition and the dietary and health choices among postpartum Hispanic WIC participants : an honors thesis (HONRS 499)

The purpose of this study is to determine whether or not there is a link between acquisition of the English language and increasingly poor health and dietary choices within the Hispanic population. A total of 60 subjects were randomly selected from two W.I.C. offices in Fort Wayne and Noblesville, Indiana, 30 English speaking Hispanic women (bilingual) and 30 Spanish speaking Hispanic women (monolingual).Subjects were separated into two groups, one comprised of English speaking Hispanic women and the other comprised of only Spanish speaking Hispanic women. Twenty-four hour recalls obtained by WIC dietitians were used to examine trends in Calcium, Vitamin C, and Vitamin A intake, as well as choices of grains, fruits, and vegetables. BMI measures and 24-hour recall results were compared by group.Results indicated Spanish speaking Hispanics were much more likely to consume a greater number of servings of fruits and vegetables than their English speaking counterparts (mean = 3.32 ± 2.70 vs 1.32 ± 1.07 p=0.000). Significantly more Spanish speaking Hispanics continued to breastfeed while English speaking Hispanics chose to breastfeed less often (93.3% vs. 63.3%; p=0.012). These results will assist WIC in helping to improve the diets of English and Spanish-speaking Hispanics.Honors CollegeThesis (B.S.