Women’s Health Survey – MCAH Nutrition and Physical Activity Publications

 MO-12-0002 NUPA 

Nutrition

General Nutrition

• Consumption of Sugar-Sweetened Beverages Among California Women, 2009 (PDF)- Assessed 4,333 women’s consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages, also taking into account sociodemographic characteristics and analyzing by race/ethnicity and women of child bearing age (18-44 years).
• Eating Five or More Fruits and Vegetable Servings a Day: Belief versus Practice of California Women, 2004 (PDF)- 61% of the 4,434 women surveyed believe they should eat five or more servings of fruits and vegetables each day for good health but only 20.7% do so, and the belief was greater among younger women 25-34 years of age.
• Fish Consumption and Advisory Awareness Among California Women, 2005 (PDF)- 76% of California women do not eat as much fish as the American Heart Association recommends, but 7% of California women of childbearing age eat commercial fish at chemical levels high enough to be a possible health concern.
• Health of California Women Receiving Food Stamps, 2006-2007 (PDF)- 655 women receiving food stamps provided information regarding their general health, socioeconomic status, and demographic characteristics associated with health.
• California Hispanic Women’s Fruit and Vegetable Consumption by Years in the United States, 2007 (PDF)-1,819 Hispanic women provided information about their fruit and vegetable consumption.
• The Most Important Meal of the Day – California Women and Breakfast, 2009 (PDF)- 4,334 non-pregnant women were asked how often they ate breakfast over the last month. Further questions about sociodemographic characteristics, demographic characteristics, general health and food security status were also asked.

Breastfeeding

• Attitudes Toward Breastfeeding in Public, 1997 (PDF)- Assessed  attitudes of 4,010 California women over age 18 about public breastfeeding prior to a breastfeeding media campaign.
• Breastfeeding Duration, by Income, 1997 (PDF)- Examined the percent of mothers who breastfed at least six months, and then classified by low and adequate income.

Dietary Supplements

• Women’s Knowledge About Folate and Its Importance for Prevention of Birth Defects; California, 1997 (PDF)- Women were questioned regarding their knowledge of folate and folic acid, and analyzed by race/ethnicity and women ages 18-29 years.
• Folic Acid Use Among California Women of Reproductive Age, 2004-2005 (PDF)- A sample of 4,445 women ages 18-44 were asked if they were currently taking a prenatal or multivitamin pill or a pill containing the B vitamin folate or folic acid, and whether they were taking these supplements daily.
• Women’s Use of Folic Acid Supplements and Knowledge of its Importance for Prevention of Birth Defects, California, 2000 (PDF)- Women of childbearing age (18-44 years) were asked if they had heard or read about folic acid, why folic acid is recommended for women, and whether they were currently taking a prenatal vitamin, multivitamin, or another pill containing the B vitamin folate or folic acid.
• Folic Acid Awareness and Intake among California Women Aged 18-44: Findings from the California Women’s Health Survey, 1997-2002 (see chapter 8, page 59-66) (PDF)- trends in California women’s awareness and intake of folic acid, including source of information and by completed education, health insurance status, and race/ethnicity.
• Prenatal Vitamin Usage, 1997 (PDF)- Percent of women who took vitamins prior to their last pregnancy and whether they were currently taking prenatal or multivitamins.
• Prevalence of Dietary Supplement Use Among California Women,1998 (PDF) ( see Chapter 4, page 27-33)– an analysis of 2,404 California women respondents self-reported dietary supplement use, including the subset of herbal supplements, and comparison of demographic characteristics and health status of supplement users to supplement non-users . Age was categorized as 18-44 years of age and 45 years of age and older.

Gestational Weight

• Gestational Weight Gain, 1997 (PDF)- 656 women who were pregnant within the last five years reported their gestational weight gain and classified as “under range,” “within range,” or “over range.”
• How Accurate Are Women in Assessing Their Pregnancy Weight Gains? (PDF)- 537 women who had given birth within the prior five years were stratified by BMI and their self-reported gestational weight gain was compared to the recommended guidelines.

Non Pregnant Weight

• Overweight and Obesity Among California Women Trying to Become Pregnant, 2006-2007 (PDF)- 4,237 women ages 18-44 were asked about their pregnancy status and intent, BMI, number of children born to them, and demographic questions.
• Healthy Weight Among California Women, 2004 (PDF)- Less than half the California women surveyed had a healthy weight, and was related to income, education level, and food security. Healthy weight prevalence also declined with age, with the majority of women 18-24 having a healthy weight and less so for women 24-34 and 35-44 years.
• Prevalence of Obesity and Obesity-Related Behaviors Among California Women With Children Living in the Household, 2007-2009 (PDF)- Women with children in the household were less likely to consume the recommended amounts of fruits and vegetables than women not living with children, and the prevalence of obesity and obesity-related behaviors varied by ethnicity and income level.
• Body Weight and Obesity-Related Risk Factors and Relationships Among California Women: Findings from the California Women’s Health Survey, 1997-2002 (see chapter 9, page 67-83) (PDF)- Prevalence data regarding body weight and body image, as well as findings about weight-related factors reported by California Women’s Health Survey respondents . Stratified by age groups, child bearing age, race/ethnicity, poverty status, education, food security and WIC status.

Body Image and Weight Control

• Perceived Body Size vs. Self-Reported Weight Among Adult Women in California, 2005-2009 (PDF)- Uses data from 24,548 women to compare their self-perceived weight category with their actual weight by age (less than age 45 and greater than or equal to age 45), race, education, poverty status, and marital status.
• Perceived Effective Weight Control Strategies by Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Participation and Income Among California Women, 2009 (PDF)- 4,226 women were asked what they believed to be the most effective strategy in helping people successfully lose weight or keep off the weight they lost.
• California Women and Risk Factor Behaviors for Obesity Prevention: Weight Goals, Poverty, and Food Stamp Participation, 2008 (PDF)- 3,721 women were asked to self-report their height/weight, questions related to protective behaviors and risk factors for obesity, and a short form of the food security scale for measuring food insecurity.

Diabetes

• Diabetes Among California Women, 2004 (PDF)- About 6.1% of 4,271 respondents reported that they were diagnosed with diabetes, and rates varied by race/ethnicity, age group (including women ages 18-24, 25-34, and 35-44), activity limitation status, and weight.

Food Security

• California Women’s Experience With Food Insecurity, 2008 (PDF)- 4,979 adult women age 18 and older responded to a six-item validated short version of the household food security standardized scale.
• California Women’s Diet Quality by Household Food Security Status, 2007 (PDF)- 5,352 women used the US Department of Agriculture’s standardized methodology for measuring food security with and without hunger.
• Food Insecurity Among Low-Income California Women and Use of Supplemental Food Sources, 2005 (PDF)- 4,539 women were classified as food secure, food insecure without hunger, or food insecure with hunger. Information about household size, income and use of federal food assistance programs and banks were also collected.
• Food Insecurity Among Women by Educational Level, California, 2000 (PDF)- 22% of California women surveyed were food insecure, and those with less than a 9th grade education were over three times more likely to be food insecure than women with higher levels of education.
• Food Insecurity Among Women by Race/Ethnicity and Age, California, 2000 (PDF)- Hispanic and Black women were more likely to be food insecure, and younger women less than 34 years of age were more likely than women over age 34 to be food insecure.
• Food Insecurity Among Women Who Have Children Under Age 18 Living in the Household, 2004 (PDF)- Women who have children under age 18 living in the home are more likely than women who do not have minor children living in the home to be food insecure and single women with children even more so.
• Risk for Hunger Among Women by Age, California, 1997 (PDF)- Women were asked if there were any days during the past month where they ate less than they felt they should or did not eat at all because there wasn’t enough food or money to buy food. Age and demographic characteristics were also collected, and almost half of the women at risk for hunger are between the ages of 18 and 34.
• Risk for Hunger Among Women in Households with Young Children, California, 1998 (PDF)- Women who were at risk for hunger felt like they ate less than they felt they should have because there wasn’t enough money to buy food in the last 12 months. Demographic information and whether or not they were living with young children (at least one child under age six) was also collected.
• Risk for Hunger Among U.S. Born and Immigrant Hispanic Women, California, 1998 (PDF)- Women who were at risk for hunger felt like they ate less than they felt they should have because there wasn’t enough money to buy food in the last 12 months. Demographic information collected include race, ethnicity, and country of birth.
• Risk for Hunger and General Health Status Among California Women, 1998 (PDF)- Women who were at risk for hunger felt like they ate less than they felt they should have because there wasn’t enough money to buy food in the last 12 months. These women were then asked to assess their own health.
• Risk for Hunger Among Women by Race/Ethnicity; California, 1997 (PDF)- Women who were at risk for hunger felt like they ate less than they felt they should have because there wasn’t enough money to buy food in the last 12 months. Women who were at risk were asked about their household income and race/ethnicity.
• Risk for Hunger Among California Women, by Educational Attainment, 1998 (PDF)- Women who were at risk for hunger felt like they ate less than they felt they should have because there wasn’t enough money to buy food in the last 12 months. Demographic information such as level of educational attainment was also collected.
• Trends in Food Security Among California Women, 1999-2005 (PDF)- Women were asked a shortened version of the USDA’s standardized scale to collect information on food security since 1999.
• Trends in Food Security Among California Women, 1999-2004 (PDF)- Women were asked a shortened version of the USDA’s standardized scale to collect information on food security since 1999.
• Use of Food Support Systems by Women Classified as Food Insecure, California, 2000 (PDF)- Women were asked if during the last 12 months they received food assistance from emergency food banks, meals served at a kitchen or community site, Women, Infants and Children’s (WIC) vouchers or coupons, or senior meal sites or home-delivered meals. They were also asked a shortened version of the USDA’s standardizedl scale to collect information on food security.
• Women Who Were Food Insecure by Employment Status, 2004 (PDF)- Women aged 18 and older were asked questions regarding their access to food and demographic information including employment status.

Physical Activity

Non Pregnant Physical Activity

• Achievement of Recommended Levels of Physical Activity Among California Women, 2004 (PDF)- 4,372 women were asked how often and how long they engaged in moderate or vigorous activity and the barriers they faced to getting more exercise.

Weight and Physical Activity

• The Relationship between Healthy Weight, Physical Activity and Neighborhood Environmental factors among California Women, 2005 (PDF)- 4,623 women were asked about how they perceived their neighborhoods in terms of crime, traffic safety and pleasantness, their height/weight, and how many days each week they were moderately or vigorously physically active for at least 30 minutes.

Nutrition and Physical Activity

• Nutrition and Physical Activity Benefits in the Workplace Among California Women, 2008 (PDF)- 2,161 women working full or part time were asked if their employers provided physical fitness benefits and nutrition benefits. Sociodemographic characteristics and body weight status was also measured.