Dietary intake of overweight and obese children attending a weight‐loss program

Abstract

Low diet quality is associated with the risk of overweight/obesity in adults but limited data is available on the effects in children. To improve the understanding of the role of diet on childhood obesity, we conducted a cross‐sectional observational pilot study in 5–11 year oldsattending the the Pediatric Overweight Education and Research Program (POWER) at Riley Hospital for Children, Indiana University, Indianapolis IN. Dietary intake was assessed using two 24‐hour recalls and mean intake of total energy, foodgroups, fiber, macro‐; and selected micronutrients was estimated. Results showed a mean daily intake of 1,503 kcals; 1.8, 1.6, 5.4, 0.9, 2.5 and 1.3 servings of fruits, vegetables, grains, whole grains, dairy, and meat, respectively. Thus, the diets of the children in this study were still deficient in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, which led to fiber consumption levels below the recommendations. The foods consumed that contributed most of the fiber intake in this population were sweetened ready‐to‐eat cereals, fruits (apples, pears, pineapple, banana), fast‐food pizza, and meat sandwhiches. In conclusion, improving diet quality by increasing intake of fiber‐rich foods could possibly help support the establishing of healthy weight in this population.Grant Funding Source : Purdue University PDT grant