This study will examine associations between neighborhood food environments, dietary intake and weight status among Latino families with preschool-age children. The specific aims of this work are to: (a) identify individual, familial and environmental predictors of perceived neighborhood food environments among Latino parents, (b) examine the association between parents’ neighborhood perceptions and children’s dietary intake and weight status, (c) evaluate food acquisition behaviors as a potential mediator of the relationship between perceived neighborhood food environments and children’s dietary intake; and (d) evaluate if perceived neighborhood food environments mediate and/or moderate effects of a family/school-based intervention on changes in dietary intake and weight status. The proposed study builds on a recently NIH-funded overweight prevention trial, the ‘Family Based Obesity Prevention in Latino Families’ study (FBOP), using baseline and post-intervention data from FBOP and adding measures of the perceived and objective food environments and activity space.
Start Date: October 2008
ID #: 65089
Principal Investigator: Angela Odoms-Young, PhD, MS
Co-Principal Investigator: Marian Fitzgibbon, PhD
Organization: University of Illinois at Chicago
Funding Round: Round 3
Age Groups: Adults and Families, Preschool-age children (ages 3 to 5)
Keywords: Body mass index (BMI), Food outlet, Geographic information systems, Neighborhood, Spanish language, Urban
Focus Area: Food Access
Resource Type: Grant Summary
State: Illinois
Race/Ethnicity: Latino(a) or Hispanic
Related Research
May 2026
Ultraprocessed Foods in the U.S.: Recommended Definitions and Policies
Despite growing interest in ultraprocessed foods (UPFs), there is not consensus on how to define UPFs for policy purposes. To meet this need, Healthy Eating Research convened an expert panel to develop evidence-informed recommendations for policymakers and advocates interested in advancing policies to limit UPF exposure and consumption at the local, state, and federal levels. MoreApril 2026
Policy Priorities and Research Needs for Advancing Healthy Eating: A 2026-2027 Research Agenda for U.S. Children and Adolescents
Given recent changes to nutrition policies and programs and the food environment landscape, the need for new evidence on how these changes impact nutrition, health, and food access is greater than ever. HER has also published a research agenda intended to provide a blueprint for immediate (i.e., 12-18 month) research needs to inform strategies to MoreNovember 2025