‘improving Nutrition in Minority Ethnic Households’

‘Improving Nutrition in Minority Ethnic Households’

The United Kingdom Economic Social Research Council (ESRC) referred to ethnic groups as ‘people of the same race or nationality with a long shared history and a distinct culture’ and defined ethnicity as the ‘intangible quality, or sense of being, derived from that shared racial or cultural affiliation’ (ESRC, 2005).

Evidence in United Kingdom (UK) shows that most ethnic groups have poorer health than the general population and have a higher prevalence of a number of diseases such as diabetes, coronary disease, obesity or hypertension reflecting that dietary and lifestyle habits are contributing to these increased risk of conditions (Leung, 2011). According to the Health Survey for England in 2004 within the focus of the topic of ethnicity, south Asian men and women and black Caribbean women were more likely to rate their own health as bad or very bad. In United States (US) nearly one in every three children ages 2 to 19 years are overweight or obese (Ogden & Carroll, 2010) and in Australia 20-25% of 2-8 year olds are already overweight. In many developing countries there is no comprehensive data on nutritional status for minority ethnic groups and the sample size is too small for separate analysis (Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition, SACN 2008), therefore local or national surveys are used on numerous occasions as representative of the population.

One of the evidences chosen is the quantitative study ‘Taking Steps Together: A Family and Community-Based Obesity Intervention for Urban, Multi-ethnic Children’ (2015) which is based on the hypothesis that the promotion of evidence-based healthy behaviours within the family household will be effective to achieve healthier behaviours in reality on a long term basis and consequently, allow for healthier Body Mass Index (BMIs) in children with obesity. Primarily Hispanic /Latino families in Minneapolis, United States with at least one child with a BMI of 85% or higher were recruited through the Hennepin County Medical Centre (HCMC). The intervention lasted for 16 weeks where educational topics and activities targeting health behaviours were presented to the participating families Data was collected via surveys using basic demographic data for all members of the family and self-reported health behaviours such as hours in front of a screen per day and servings of sugary drinks and breakfasts. Data was analysed using statistical software (StataCorp).

The study acknowledges the role of family in food choices, reflecting on the empowerment model of health promotion developed by Tone et al. (1980) that emphasizes on the role of health education and development of individual’s life skills to take control of their own health.

Whilst engaging an entire family in this empowerment model demands a high level of resources, it created unexpected positive