Characteristics and dietary patterns of adolescents who value eating locally grown, organic, nongenetically engineered, and nonprocessed food.

OBJECTIVE: To examine characteristics of adolescents who value eating locally grown, organic, nongenetically engineered, and/or nonprocessed food and whether they are more likely than their peers to meet Healthy People 2010 dietary objectives.
DESIGN: Cross-sectional analysis using data from a population-based study in Minnesota (Project EAT: Eating Among Teens).
SETTING: Participants completed a mailed survey and food frequency questionnaire in 2004. PARTICIPANTS: Males and females (N = 2516), ages 15-23 years. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Dietary intake of fruit, vegetables, fat, grains, calcium, and fast food. ANALYSIS: Chi-square tests, logistic regression models adjusting for race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and vegetarian status.
RESULTS: Percentages of adolescents who reported that it was somewhat or very important that their food be locally grown, organic, nongenetically engineered, and nonprocessed were 20.9%, 23.2%, 34.1%, and 29.8%, respectively. Those who valued each practice were more likely than their peers to be nonwhite (P < .001) and have a low socioeconomic status (P < .001). Adolescents who valued >/= 2 practices were more likely than their peers to have a dietary pattern consistent with the Healthy People 2010 objectives (P < .001) for fruit, vegetable, and fat intake. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: It may beneficial to discuss alternative food production practices as part of nutrition education programs for adolescents.