DIETARY BEHAVIOR AMONG AFRICAN AMERICANS: ASSESSING CULTURAL IDENTITY AND HEALTH CONSCIOUSNESS

The present study utilized the African selfconsciousness (ASC) construct as an index of African-American cultural identity, and explored its association with health consciousness and dietary behavior. One hundred ninety- seven African-American adults residing in a Southeastern community participated in the study. Results demonstrated few, but significant, correlations between cultural identity and health consciousness. A similar relationship was observed between cultural identity and dietary behavior. Further, after statistically controlling for health consciousness, cultural identity contributed unique variance to dietary behavior. These ®ndings represent preliminary evidence suggesting the general viability of cultural models in explaining African American health behavior. More importantly, the study offers avenues for additional research on the complex roles played by culture and cultural identity in African-American dietary behavior

Association Between Residential Exposure to Outdoor Alcohol Advertising and Problem Drinking Among African American Women in New York City

We evaluated the association between residential exposure to outdoor alcohol advertising and current problem drinking among 139 African American women aged 21 to 49 years in Central Harlem, New York City. We found that exposure to advertisements was positively related to problem drinking (13% greater odds), even after we controlled for a family history of alcohol problems and socioeconomic status. The results suggest that the density of alcohol advertisements in predominantly African American neighborhoods may add to problem drinking behavior of their residents