Journal Club 4: Nutrition Label Use and its Association With Dietary Quality Among Latinos: The Roles of Poverty and Acculturation

Recorded on 3/18/2019

About the Webinar

Epidemiological studies have described a “Dietary Acculturation Paradox”: Increased acculturation to the United States is associated with poor diet. Thus, understanding how to communicate about diet in a culturally appropriate manner with bicultural populations is critical for advancing public health goals. In this webinar, I present evidence from a series of related studies with Mexican-Americans that demonstrate how communication – information from the media and non-clinical sources – contributes to the dietary acculturation paradox. I will also discuss implications for the design of effective nutrition messaging, including strategies for re-appropriating culture to empower and activate bicultural Latinos for social change.

About the Presenters

A. Susana Ramirez, PhD, MPH, University of California, Merced

Dr. A. Susana Ramírez is a social scientist whose research focuses on communication in the service of social justice and health equity. Currently funded research examines the development and effectiveness of culturally tailored messages for bicultural Latina populations, the feasibility of using mobile phones for tailored behavior change communications, understanding communication barriers to health decision-making, and developing a multilevel communication strategy to create a culture of health. Dr. Ramírez is an Assistant Professor of Public Health Communication at the University of California in Merced. She was awarded the 2017 Early Career Award by the American Public Health Association’s Public Health Education and Health Promotion Division. Dr. Ramírez earned a PhD in Communication from the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Pennsylvania, a Master of Public Health from Harvard University, and a Bachelor of Arts in Communication from Santa Clara University.

Machelle D. Wilson, PhD, University of California, Davis

Dr. Wilson is a Senior Biostatistician at the University of California, Davis in the Department of Public Health Sciences, Division of Biostatistics. She has extensive experience in developing and implementing statistical methods in medical, biological, and in environmental and public health research. Additionally, she has a high level of training in the biological sciences and several years of experience working collaboratively as a statistician with researchers contributing to both the development of the scientific question and the identification and implementation of the appropriate statistical analysis. She has experience mentoring undergraduate, graduate, and medical students, as well as medical residents and faculty in research methods, especially related to experimental design and data analysis. She is also well-versed in a wide variety of software packages, including SAS, SPSS, R, and Matlab.

Education Benefits

Participants of this webinar will receive 1 CEU for live attendance. The webinar provides information on the following:

SNEB Nutrition Educator Competencies

Behavior and Education Theory

CDR Performance Indicators

2.1.2, 2.1.3, 8.2.1

CDR Learning Need Codes

1040, 4040, 9020