ARS | Publication request: Overweight and poor nutritional status in Mexican American youth

Submitted to: Obesity
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: September 1, 2007
Publication Date: September 1, 2007
Citation: Johnston, C.A., Tyler, C., Stansberry, S.A., Covarrubias, M.A., Fullerton, G., El-Mubasher, A., Foreyt, J. 2007. Overweight and poor nutritional status in Mexican American youth [abstract]. Obesity. 15(Supplement):A211.

Technical Abstract: Children in the United States have consistently been shown to have less than the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) recommended daily allowances (RDA) of nutrients. Mexican American children have been shown to have the most nutritionally deficient diets. Obesity is increasingly becoming associated with poor nutrition, and Mexican American children are the heaviest group of children in this country. Based on this, we hypothesized that Mexican American children would show deficits in their RDA of various nutrients. Furthermore, we hypothesized that overweight children (BMI > 85th percentile for age and gender) would show the greatest deficits. One hundred three 6th grade students (56% male) completed a Block Dietary Data Systems (BDDS) food frequency questionnaire as a baseline assessment of diet before beginning a school-based weight management program. Participants attended a charter school in Houston, TX. that serves a student population that is 85% Mexican American. All children showed deficits of: Vitamins E, A, and D, Magnesium, Folic Acid, Potassium, Calcium, and Fiber. Consistent with study hypotheses, the normal weight participants' nutrient intakes were less deficient than that of overweight children for: Vitamins E (F = 8.00, p < .01) and A (F = 6.21, p = .01), Magnesium (F = 9.96, p < .01), Folic Acid (F = 11.38, p = .001), Potassium (F = 6.83, p = .01), and Calcium (F = 6.97, p = .01). These findings indicate differences in nutrient status for normal and overweight Mexican American children. These disparities underscore the need to closely examine nutrition in overweight Mexican American children.