The Dietary Guidelines for Americans provide recommendations for making better food and physical activity choices that promote health and help prevent disease. Yet, few Americans meet the Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA) and a large percentage are overweight.

The goal of the research was to examine the association between weight and the barriers and facilitators to meeting the DGA in a multi-site study using a cross-sectional survey. 836 caregiver-child dyads enrolled and completed the HEALTH study questionnaire across six sites among three race/ethnic groups participating in the HEALTH Study. Barriers and facilitators to meeting the DGA were assessed using a validated questionnaire which was developed specifically for the HEALTH Study. Heights and weights were measured. A series of bivariate regression analyses were conducted to examine the association between the caregivers BMI or the children BMI z-score and the barriers and facilitators to meeting the DGA, adjusting for appropriate covariates in the models. Path analysis was used to examine the relationship of caregivers and children barriers and facilitators to their relative BMI.

1. Children in grade 5 and primary caregiver of a child in the 5th grade (the primary caregiver was defined as the person responsible for the health of the child and who has the most influence in what the child eats most days of the week)
2. Attend public school and caregiver to a child in a public school
3. Fell in one of three racial/ethnic groups (African Americans, Hispanics, White)

Exclusion Criteria:

1. Pregnant women were not recruited as their dietary intake was different because of pregnancy.
2. Children not attending 5th grade in public school.
3. Parents of children not attending 5th grade in public school
4. parents of children attending 5th grade in public school but who were not responsible for the health of the child and who did not have the most influence in what the qualified child ate most days of the week.

Fifth-grade children and their caregivers, or a caregiver of a 5th grade child attending a public school.