Abstract
Limited research has examined the association of diet with immigrant status, adjusting for multiple socio-demographic and contextual influences. Among 662 WIC-eligible postpartum women, those who were foreign-born and had lived in the United States for 4 or fewer years consumed 2.5 more fruit and vegetable servings daily than native-born women; this difference diminished with longer US residence. White women consumed 1 serving less than Latinas, and those speaking both English and Spanish at home consumed 1.4 servings more than English-only speakers after adjusting for other covariates.
Latinos are the largest and most rapidly growing minority group in the United States. In 2003, 22.5% of Latinos (9.1 million) were estimated to live below the federal poverty line.1 Nevertheless, Latino immigrants tend to have lower mortality risk, better dietary quality, and lower obesity rates than do nonimmigrant groups of similar socioeconomic status. However, this relative advantage declines with length of US residence.2–7 Factors hypothesized to account for these differences include behavioral characteristics, lifestyle, and social support.2,8–10
Greater fruit and vegetable consumption has been shown to reduce the risk of major causes of mortality and morbidity in the United States, including type II diabetes, heart disease, certain cancers, stroke, and obesity.11–17 For women of childbearing age, optimal dietary intake not only influences nutritional status but also has implications for neonatal and infant development.18
We examined the association of nativity and length of time in the US with fruit and vegetable intake among a multiethnic sample of low-income, postpartum women.