Acceptance of modified low glycemic index diet foods by severely obese Mexican or Mexican American girls ages 12-19

Abstract

One of the most common health problems facing America's youth today is obesity. There are many different approaches being used in order to aid adolescents and children with weight loss. One of these approaches is the modified low glycemic index (LGI) diet. The purpose of this study was to identify the acceptability of incorporating modified LGI diet foods into the diets of Mexican/Mexican-American severely obese adolescent girls ages 12 to 19 years by examining the home, school, after school, and work environments of 20 English speaking only or bilingual families. This was accomplished through qualitative analysis of in-home interviews conducted with the adolescent and her family. Participants' responses were divided among the tenets of the modified LGI and the acceptability also varied greatly across the families interviewed. In conclusion, the modified LGI diet might be acceptable among severely obese Mexican/Mexican American girls if more education is provided to the families.