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A focus on the health status and behaviors of Latinos is essential in California, one of the two states in which half of all Latinos in the U.S. reside. This dissertation is composed of five chapters describing various aspects of health-related behaviors of this growing population. After the general overview, a literature review describes past findings and areas of interest related to nutritional and physical activity habits of Spanish-speakers in the U.S. A pertinent discussion of questionnaire design and psychometric properties is also included here. Following the literature review is a secondary data analysis of the California Women´s Health Survey focused on acculturation and physical activity, providing some insight as to how behaviors change with assimilation to U.S. culture. The next two chapters describe development of two nutrition education evaluation questionnaires focused on food behaviors and physical activity. A conclusion follows these chapters, including an overview of findings and commentary regarding the process of data collection and analysis.

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Jinan Banna received her Ph.D. in Nutritional Biology with a designated emphasis in International Nutrition and a minor in Epidemiology from the University of California, Davis. Dr. Banna´s research interest is nutrition education in low-income minorities domestically and internationally, particularly in Spanish-speaking populations.

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