What Are the Relationships between Psychosocial Community Characteristics and Dietary Behaviors in a Racially/Ethnically Diverse Urban Population in Los Angeles County?

Abstract

To address existing gaps in public health practice, we used data from a 2014 internet panel survey of 954 Los Angeles County adults to investigate the relationships between psychosocial community characteristics (PCCs) and two key chronic disease-related dietary behaviors: fruit and vegetable (F+V) and soda consumption. Negative binomial regression models estimated the associations between ‘neighborhood risks and resources’ and ‘sense of community’ factors for each dietary outcome of interest. While high perceived neighborhood violence (p < 0.001) and perceived community-level collective efficacy (p < 0.001) were associated with higher F+V consumption, no PCCs were directly associated with soda consumption overall. However, moderation analyses by race/ethnicity showed a more varied pattern. High perceived violence was associated with lower F+V consumption among White and Asian/Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander (ANHOPI) groups (p < 0.01). Inadequate park access and walking as the primary mode of transportation to the grocery store were associated with higher soda consumption among the ANHOPI group only (p < 0.05). Study findings suggest that current and future chronic disease prevention efforts should consider how social and psychological dynamics of communities influence dietary behaviors, especially among racially/ethnically diverse groups in urban settings. Intervention design and implementation planning could benefit from and be optimized based on these considerations.