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Title: Food sources of energy and nutrients among children in the United States: National Health and Nutrition Examination survey 2003-2006

Author
item KEAST, DEBRA - Food And Nutrition Database Research, Inc
item FULGONI III, VICTOR - Nutrition Impact, Llc
item NICKLAS, THERESA - Children'S Nutrition Research Center (CNRC)
item O'NEIL, CAROL - LSU Agcenter

Submitted to: Nutrients
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/7/2013
Publication Date: 1/22/2013
Citation: Keast, D.R., Fulgoni III, V.L., Nicklas, T.A., O'Neil, C.E. 2013. Food sources of energy and nutrients among children in the United States: National Health and Nutrition Examination survey 2003-2006. Nutrients. 5:283-301.

Interpretive Summary: Recent detailed analyses of data on dietary sources of energy and nutrients in US children are lacking. The objective of this study was to identify food sources of energy and 28 nutrients for children in the United States. This study showed that children consumed a large proportion of total energy from energy-dense, low-nutrient food groups (e.g., cake/cookies/quick bread/pastry/pie and soft drinks/soda) and identified principal sources of energy that were also major sources of nutrients (e.g., milk and milk drinks, poultry, and beef). Awareness of food and beverage sources of energy and nutrients can help health professionals design and promote effective strategies to reduce energy consumption and increase the nutrient density of the diet.

Technical Abstract: Recent detailed analyses of data on dietary sources of energy and nutrients in US children are lacking. The objective of this study was to identify food sources of energy and 28 nutrients for children in the United States. Analyses of food sources were conducted using a single 24-h recall collected from 7332 children 2 to 18 years old in the 2003–2006 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Sources of nutrients contained in foods were determined using nutrient composition databases. Food grouping included ingredients from disaggregated mixtures. Mean energy and nutrient intakes from the total diet and from each food group were adjusted for the sample design using appropriate weights.Percentages of the total dietary intake that food sources contributed were tabulated by rank order. Results suggest that many foods/food groupings consumed by children were energy dense, nutrient poor. Awareness of dietary sources of energy and nutrients can help health professionals design effective strategies to reduce energy consumption and increase the nutrient density of children’s diets.