More than three-quarters of low-income Latino women studied (n = 561) in California were overweight or obese, while 22% of their young children were overweight, according to a study published in the January-March 2004 issue of the University of California’s California Agriculture journal. About 60% of these same households (n = 212) were food-insecure, meaning that the families lacked access, at varying degrees, to nutritious foods at some time during each month.
“Overweight has replaced malnutrition as the most prevalent nutritional problem among the poor,” UC Berkeley nutrition specialist Pat Crawford said. “We found that many of the women experiencing food insecurity were overweight.”
Two peer-reviewed research studies in California Agriculture highlight the conundrum facing the state’s public-health researchers and nutrition educators: How can Californians be hungry and overweight at the same time? Lead scientists Crawford and UC Davis nutrition specialist Lucia Kaiser collaborated with colleagues in the UC Cooperative Extension Body Weight and Health Workgroup to explore these issues, conducting a large, cross-sectional study of low-income Latino households in six urban and rural California counties.

The current issue of California Agriculture, including PDF versions of all peer-reviewed research articles, can be viewed in full online at: http://CaliforniaAgriculture.ucop.edu/0401JFM/toc.html

Overweight and obesity have become a national epidemic, encompassing 64% of U.S. adults; overweight among children and adolescents has tripled over the past 30 years. At the same time, many low-income populations experience periodic food shortages. Since the federal government began collecting such data in 1995, national rates of food-insecurity have hovered around 10% and 11%, but are much higher among some low-income and minority populations.
The research articles explore possible explanations for this phenomenon, including the need to rely on high-fat, high-sugar foods as an inexpensive source of calories, and periodic binge-eating when money is available for food. “Cyclical patterns of food insecurity are associated with a less varied and less nutritious diet,” Kaiser said.
In a detailed analysis of household food supplies, the UC researchers found that preschool-aged children were not sheltered from fluctuations in household supplies of all food groups. When food insecurity increased in the households studied, supplies of healthful items such as bananas, yogurt and tomatoes declined, while supplies of cheaper, less nutritious items such as Kool-Aid, hotdogs and sweetened cereals remained stable.
“A strong safety net to improve food security in low-income populations must include educational strategies and provision of nutritious foods to support a good diet at home and away from home,” Kaiser noted.
The news section of the current issue of California Agriculture also highlights EatFit, an innovative magazine and Internet-based program developed by UC nutrition educators to guide adolescents toward more healthy eating and exercise choices (http://www.EatFit.net).
In addition, the news section features new research on dieting by obese women (weighing 200 to 600 pounds), which found that most diet repeatedly, but just as often regain the weight back, and more. “Once people have tried to lose weight three times and regained the weight, they should be encouraged to stop dieting before their weight goes even higher,” said UC Berkeley nutrition specialist Joanne Ikeda. Rather the focus should shift to healthier eating and exercise for weight maintenance.
In addition to these nutrition articles, the January-March 2004 issue of California Agriculture includes a special focus on peer-reviewed human resources research, including:

• The majority of rural California Latino families are not applying for or receiving the federal Earned Income Tax Credit, an important income supplement.
• Innovative civic engagement tools have helped to promote diverse participation in how Proposition 10 “tobacco tax” funds are distributed to benefit young children.
• An analysis of agricultural labor trends in California during the 1990s finds that about three farmworkers fill each full-time job, creating opportunities for improved efficiency and higher earnings for individual workers.
  Plus,
• High-tech (GPS) autoguidance systems for tractors operate effectively at high speeds (7 miles per hour), with virtually no damage to tomato plants.
• The in vitro gas production method allows quick, accurate analyses of ruminant feeds, promoting the development of animal feeds that minimize environmental impacts.
• In a 6-year study, fertilizer has no effect on river red gum growth.
  Up to one-third of processed tomatoes end up as waste; this “pomace” is a promising source of vitamin E for broiler chickens..