Introduction: Minorities are disproportionately impacted by life-style related diseases. Many of these diseases have their roots in childhood behavioral patterns that if unchecked continue into adulthood resulting in significant morbidity and mortality. Purpose: The purpose of this research was to assess the knowledge, behaviors and self-efficacy regarding eating habits of middle school students of different races. Methods: The Internal Review Board of the University where it was conducted approved the study. The participants were African American middle school (n = 814; grades 6-8) and Caucasian middle school students (n = 385; grades 6-8) located in a large urban metropolitan area. A comprehensive review of the literature was conducted and a survey instrument was adapted from previous nutrition studies of the same age group. Of the 50 items, seven addressed demographics. A principal components factor analysis revealed three subscales: eating habits, knowledge, and self-efficacy. The subscales were tested for internal reliability and found to be reliable. In order to examine test-retest reliability, the test was administered to 50 students in two health education classes on two occasions, two weeks apart. The stability reliability correlation coefficient was .78 for eating habits, .89 for knowledge and .84 for self-efficacy. The instrument was given to the participants by health teachers prior to teaching any health content regarding nutrition. Independent samples t-tests were calculated to examine differences with significance set at p = 0.05. Results: African Americans scored significantly lower than Caucasians on several of the variables. They were more likely to consume junk food; (t = 3.15; p = .002) and fried food; (t = 3.47; p = .001), less likely to eat fruits; (t = 2.22; p = .04) and vegetables; (t = 2.28; p = .03), less knowledgeable about nutrition; (t = 3.25; p = .002) and had significantly lower self-efficacy regarding their ability to change eating habits; (t = 2.28; p = .028). Conclusion: The results of this study suggest that African American students should be targeted for early intervention related to dietary behaviors. Several studies demonstrate that this age group is amenable to change and interventions designed specifically for them may result in lifetime morbidity and mortality risk reductions.Keyword(s): disease prevention/wellness, nutrition, obesity issues