Research

Monique Collins Funded Projects

The relationship between ecologic variables and eating behaviors in early adolescent AA girls and their parents

Funding Source: Alpha Lambda Chapter, Sigma Theta Tau

Dates: 3/01/10– 2/28/11

Abstract: Few studies have been conducted to describe eating behaviors of low income early adolescent African American girls and their parents. A positive association has been found in the eating behaviors of adolescent girls and their parents, but these studies have been conducted primarily internationally or nationally on white family samples, therefore, the low income early adolescent African American girl and their parent dyad have been understudied. Because early adolescence is a critical time period in a female’s life for predicting subsequent adolescent and adult behavior it’s important to explore correlations among African American early adolescent girls’ and their parent’s eating behaviors. This study will compare parents and adolescent girls across a large urban minority community to assess whether there is a relationship between the eating behaviors. This study aims to answer the following research questions:
1. Do early adolescent African American girls eat breakfast and dinner with their parents? If not, with whom do they eat?
a. How often do they eat breakfast and dinner with their parents?
b. Where do they eat breakfast and dinner?
2. How many vegetables, grains, protein, dairy, calories and frequency of fruits/ fruit juices, fats, oils and sweets do early adolescent African American girls eat?
3. Do parents eat breakfast and dinner with their early adolescent African American girls? If not, with whom do they eat?
a. How often do they eat breakfast and dinner with their girls?
b. Where do they eat breakfast and dinner?
4. How many vegetables, grains, protein, dairy, calories and frequency of fruits/ fruit juices, fats, oils and sweets do parents of early adolescent African American girls eat?
5. What is the relationship between eating behaviors of early adolescent African American girls and their parent?