ARS | Publication request: The association of ready to eat cereal (RTEC) at breakfast with diet quality and adiposity in African-American (AA) and Hispanic-American (HA) children 1 to 18 years: Results from NHANES, 1999

Submitted to: Journal of Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: February 1, 2008
Publication Date: April 9, 2008
Citation: Williams, B.M., Vargas, S.P., O'Neil, C.E., Keast, D.R., Cho, S.S., Nicklas, T.A. 2008. The association of ready to eat cereal (RTEC) at breakfast with diet quality and adiposity in African-American (AA) and Hispanic-American (HA) children 1 to 18 years: Results from NHANES, 1999–2002 [abstract]. Journal of Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology. 22:1085.2.

Technical Abstract: The aim of this study was to examine the association of an RTEC breakfast with diet quality and weight of AA (n=2377) and HA (n=3236) 1 to 18 y in NHANES, 1999–2002. Three breakfast groups were: skippers, RTEC, and other breakfast (OB); age groups were 1–5, 6–12, 13–18 y. Mean adequacy ratio (MAR) score was the average percentage of the Estimated Average Requirement obtained from 24-hour recall intake of vitamins A, E, C, B1, B2, B6, B12; niacin; folate; phosphorus; magnesium; iron; and zinc. MAR and weight measures (mean+/-SE) of breakfast groups were compared using SUDAAN. Age was related to skipping and type of breakfast: for 1–5 v. 6–12 v. 13–18y, 7.4% v.16.9% v.36.8% of AA, and 4.9% v. 8.9% v. 28.3% of HA skipped; 45% v. 38% v. 19.4% of AA, and 40.5% v. 33.9% v. 22.1% of HA ate RTEC. MAR for AA was highest in RTEC (97.3 [1–5], 94.7 [6–12], 92.1 [13–18y]) (p<0.05). For HA 1–5y, MAR was higher for RTEC (97.2+/-0.2) than OB (95.7+/-0.4), but not skippers (92.8+/-2.1); in HA 6–12y, MAR of RTEC (95.4+/-0.6) was higher than skippers (84.9+/-1.3); in HA 13–18y MAR of RTEC (91.1+/-0.5) was highest (p<0.05). In AA and HA 2–18y there were no differences in z-score of BMI-for age; in AA 2–18y only waist circumference (cm) was lowest in RTEC (66.5+/-0.3) v skippers (68.7+/-0.7) or OB (68.2+/-0.4). There were ethnic differences in breakfast consumption patterns, and adiposity of 2–18y AA and HA; diet quality improved with RTEC in both groups.