Use of selected high-fat foods by Hispanic adults in the northeastern US

To add to the limited information of dietary fat intake of US Hispanic adults, in particular for subgroups other than Mexican Americans.

The frequency of eating 13 high-fat food items commonly consumed in the US was examined in 665 Hispanic adults 20-74 years old in Connecticut and Long Island, New York, sampled from Spanish-surname telephone listings and surveyed by telephone in 1992.

Mean estimated fat intake from the 13 items was significantly greater for the 357 men than the 308 women; the largest gender differences were for hamburgers/cheeseburgers and french fries. Whole milk was an important contributor to the fat intake of persons with the highest fat intakes. In multiple linear regression analyses, age (negative association) and gender, but not education and acculturation (based on language spoken, read and written), were statistically significant predictors of fat intake from the 13 items.

Longitudinal studies using diet diaries are needed in these Hispanic populations.