Examining change in social support and fruit and vegetable consumption in African American adults

Abstract

These findings illustrate the mediating role of eating-related behaviors and the inter-locking nature of social support, behavior and consumption trajectories. This research has implications for future research as well as community interventions and programs.

Social Determinants of Risk and Outcomes for Cardiovascular Disease

“…156 Conversely, social environment factors such as social support have been shown to reduce depression symptoms and to improve health behaviors among racial/ethnic minority groups. [171][172][173] Poor built environments can increase the likelihood of mental health disorders by exposing individuals residing in disadvantaged neighborhoods to daily stressors and inconveniences, social strain, exposure to crime and trauma, and limited access to green space. 174,175 For example, residential environment factors such as crime and low personal safety can lead to the experience of anxiety, which in turn can also affect physical activity.…”

Food for Thought: The Impact of m-Health Enabled Interventions on Eating Behavior

“…Peer engagement may increase user engagement through improved intention due to social norms. The change in engagement can be short-term and/or long-term, and prior literature examines the e↵ect of di↵erent types of peers, with and without social ties, on both forms of user engagement (Maher et al, 2014;ONeal et al, 2014;Susarla et al, 2012;Ghose and Han, 2011;Centola, 2010). For example, engagement from peers with existing ties are found to be associated with increased long-term user engagement, such as the mobile Internet usage in Ghose and Han (2011) and the recordings for fruit and vegetable intake in ONeal et al (2014).…”

“…The change in engagement can be short-term and/or long-term, and prior literature examines the e↵ect of di↵erent types of peers, with and without social ties, on both forms of user engagement (Maher et al, 2014;ONeal et al, 2014;Susarla et al, 2012;Ghose and Han, 2011;Centola, 2010). For example, engagement from peers with existing ties are found to be associated with increased long-term user engagement, such as the mobile Internet usage in Ghose and Han (2011) and the recordings for fruit and vegetable intake in ONeal et al (2014). On the other hand, engagement from peers without existing ties are found to be associated with increased short-term user engagement, such as the adoption of YouTube videos in Susarla et al (2012) and the sign-up of a health online community in Centola (2010).…”

“…Empirically, studies have found that engagement from peers with existing ties is correlated with an improvement in the outcome of interest. For example, engagement from church fellows improves eating behavior (ONeal et al, 2014). However, the impact of engagement from peers without existing ties is still a debate.…”

Key Dietary Behavioral and Environmental Factors Mediating Dietary Variety Among Japanese Adults with Spinal Cord Injury

“…The environmental factor associated with dietary variety was family/neighbor that support health promotion ( Table 2, Model 2). Prior reports among able-bodied people found social support to be correlated with positive change in fruit and vegetable consumption [21][22][23] and negative change in fat consumption [24]. Although research on a psychosocial approach to health has recently been conducted for persons with SCI, there was no direct evidence for the relationships between dietary variety and environmental factors [25][26][27].…”