Date of Award

5-2006

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Departmental Honors

Department

Nutrition, Dietetics, and Food Sciences

Abstract

Hispanic Americans are the second largest ethnic minority group in the United States today, at 12.5% of the total U.S. population. They face considerable nutrition-related challenges, of which dietitians and other nutrition professionals who serve this population need to be aware. Their diet goes through drastic, rapid changes soon after immigration to the United States, many of which have a strong negative impact on their health, putting them at greater risk for obesity and chronic diseases than the general population. In addition to diet and disease, Hispanic Americans face other issues that hinder their ability to benefit from nutritional counseling, such as lack of food safety knowledge, language barriers, and attachment to traditional alternative remedies. Community based, culturally tailored interventions are producing impressive results in helping Hispanics achieve improved nutritional status. The goal of this paper is to present a general overview of the basic issues that are presented in the last five years of research on Hispanics and nutrition.

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Faculty Mentor

Tamara Vitale

Departmental Honors Advisor

Noreen Schvaneveldt