Exploring the Challenges of Healthy Eating in an Urban Community of Hispanic Women.

The purpose of this cross-sectional exploratory study was to describe Hispanic women's level of obesity, eating patterns, and access to food. Forty-eight Hispanic women ages 23-73 years participated in the study during a community health fair in the Northeastern United States. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, nonparametric Mann-Whitney tests, and Fisher's exact tests. Findings revealed that women had an average body mass index of 30, with 76% being classified as overweight or obese. Sixty-one percent of the women reported not having enough money to buy food at least once a week, and 50% received Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits. More than half of the women regularly ate fast food, and those women with the lowest income ate fast food more often. More than 90% of the women reported not knowing how to choose healthy foods. Half had been informed to change their diet for health reasons. Gaining a better understanding of access barriers to healthy foods in marginalized populations may assist in developing future weight loss interventions.