PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Nicole D. Gaskins
AU  - Philip D. Sloane
AU  - C. Madeline Mitchell
AU  - Alice Ammerman
AU  - Scott B. Ickes
AU  - Christianna S. Williams
TI  - Poor Nutritional Habits: A Modifiable Predecessor of Chronic Illness? A North Carolina Family Medicine Research Network (NC-FM-RN) Study
AID  - 10.3122/jabfm.2007.02.060151
DP  - 2007 Mar 01
TA  - The Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine
PG  - 124--134
VI  - 20
IP  - 2
4099  - http://www.jabfm.org/content/20/2/124.short
4100  - http://www.jabfm.org/content/20/2/124.full
SO  - J Am Board Fam Med2007 Mar 01; 20
AB  - Purpose: To examine associations between personal nutritional patterns and various indicators of health, disease risk, and chronic illness in a diverse, representative sample of adult patients from primary care settings.Methods: As part of a survey of adult patients conducted in the waiting rooms of 4 primary care practices in North Carolina (recruitment rate 74.8%), a 7-item nutrition screen was administered to 1788 study participants. Other questionnaire items addressed disease and functional status, race/ethnicity, health habits, and demographic factors.Results: Respondents included 292 African Americans (17.3%), 1004 non-Hispanic whites (59.4%), 255 Hispanics (15.1%), and 126 American Indians (7.4%); mean age 47.5 years. Thirty percent reported eating 3 or more fast food meals weekly, 29% drank 3 or more high-sugar beverages weekly, 22% ate 3 or more high-fat snacks weekly, 36% ate 3 or more desserts weekly, 11% reported eating “a lot” of margarine, butter, or meat fat; 62% ate 2 or fewer fruits or vegetables daily; and 42% reported consuming protein less than 3 times a week. Scores on a summary measure were worse for prediabetics than for diabetics, for young adults compared with older persons, and for persons reporting good/excellent health versus fair/poor health.Conclusions: People at high risk for developing chronic illnesses later in life reported poorer diets in comparison with people who are already ill. This probably represents increased nutritional awareness and motivation among people with chronic diseases. Because primary care patients have a high prevalence of chronic disease risk factors, the primary care office setting may constitute a particularly appropriate location for nutrition education.