Association between Primary Caregiver Employment Status and Child Dietary Quality in a Sample of Diverse Youth from Low-Income Communitiestext_resourcesThe percentage of caregivers, specifically mothers, entering the labor force has been increasing steadily since the 20th century with unclear impacts on child overweight status globally. Parental employment corresponds to higher household income but may limit the time caregivers spend preparing home cooked meals, grocery shopping for healthy produce, etc. Previous research in developed countries on the association between child weight status and maternal employment has been inconclusive and limited. The primary research objective of this project was to test for a relationship between primary caregiver employment status and child dietary quality in a sample of low-income communities in Rhode Island. Community-based, cross-sectional data were collected from the children of 92 low-income families from Rhode Island. BMI-z scores and dietary quality were calculated using anthropometric measurements and dietary recalls, respectively. Linear regression models estimated differences in dietary quality between levels of caregiver employment. Though no significant association was found between caregiver employment status and BMI-z or dietary quality, future research highlights the need for policy changes aimed at improving the quality of school lunches, especially for low income communities.Garcia Jr., GeronimoAuthorEvans, WhitneyAuthorJelalian, ElissaAuthorBrown University. Alpert Medical School. Scholarly Concentration Program. Non-Scholarly Concentratorresearch programObesity in childrenWorking classFood habitsBody mass indexEnglish2021Non-Scholarly ConcentratorAll rights reservedIn CopyrightAll Rights Reserved