Association of MyPlate Diet and Exercise with Diabetes in African American Women

Lifestyle factors such as diet and exercise have been described as predictors of preventable disease such as Type 2 diabetes. Black/African American (AA) women disproportionately develop and are at greater risk, compared to Whites. The purpose of this study was to examine the association of exercise and adherence to MyPlate diet in this population. The health belief model was the theoretical foundation for this study. Research questions were designed to examine the extent to which lifestyle predicts diabetes. In this quantitative cross-sectional study, data from the 2015-2016 NHANES data sets were analyzed. Using SPSS, a series of binary logistic regressions were conducted. After controlling for age, there was no significant association between MyPlate diet adherence and diabetes (OR = .706, 95% CI [.292, 1.707], P > .005). Similarly, no significant association between exercise and diabetes was observed among this population (OR = 1.032, 95% CI [.721, 1.504], P > .005).