Calcium Intake and Barriers to Consumption Among Low Income Women in Lafayette, Louisiana

Abstract

Research continues to document that women fail to consume the minimum Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) of calcium. Utilizing a 24-hour recall and a questionnaire survey instrument, this research analyzed calcium intake and barriers to calcium consumption among low-income African American women. Dietary data was collected on 63 of the female participants who were of African American ethnicity and met the low income criteria.This study replicated an investigation previously conducted in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The primary objectives were to determine the dietary calcium intake, demographic factors associated with calcium consumption, intake of protein, the knowledge of women concerning the relationship between calcium and various diseases, and barriers to calcium consumption.Fifty-two percent of the subjects reported mean calcium intakes less than half of the RDA and three-fourths of the participants presented mean calcium intakes less than 75% of the RDA. Younger females reported higher calcium intakes than older subjects. The misperception of already consuming adequate amounts of calcium, digestion problems, disliked taste of dairy products, and lack of knowledge of calcium-containing foods were among the reported barriers to sufficient calcium intake.Eighty-nine percent of the subjects correctly linked low calcium intakes with osteoporosis.