Abstract
Comprehensive assessment of nutrient intakes and food sources of nutrients in Filipino children under 5 years old are lacking. We studied energy and nutrient intakes and food sources in 4218 children aged 6–59.9 months using two 24-h dietary recalls. Usual energy and nutrient intakes were estimated using the PC-SIDE program. Reported foods and beverages were assigned to one of 85 food groups. Percentage contribution of each food group to nutrient intake was calculated. The results showed that the intake of total fat as a percentage of energy and of most micronutrients were highly inadequate. The prevalence of inadequate nutrient intakes, defined as the percent of children with intakes less than the estimated average requirements (EAR) ranged from 60–90% for iron, calcium, vitamin C, and zinc and ranged from 30–50% for others such as vitamin A, thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, vitamin B6, and phosphorus. The diets of these children were composed of limited foods, namely a large amount of refined rice and other low-nutrient-dense foods (cookies and sugar), while vegetables, fruits, meats, and eggs made little contribution to daily energy or nutrients. These findings provide direction to health professionals developing food-based recommendations and strategies to tackle the shortfalls in the diet of this population.
Highlights
IntroductionNutrition in early life is crucially important for children to grow and develop into healthy adults
Nutrition in early life is crucially important for children to grow and develop into healthy adults.Children can reach their growth and development potential if their nutritional needs are met in a healthy environment [1,2,3]
The purpose of this study was to use data from the NNS 2013 to describe the dietary intakes of infants, toddlers and young children aged from 6 months to 5 years including (1) the prevalence of inadequate nutrient intakes, (2) food groups consumed and (3) contribution of food groups to energy and nutrients
Summary
Nutrition in early life is crucially important for children to grow and develop into healthy adults. Children can reach their growth and development potential if their nutritional needs are met in a healthy environment [1,2,3]. The Philippines is one of the countries in the world where a significant number of children remain malnourished despite the economic growth and development in the country over the past decades [4]. Data from the 2013 National Nutrition Survey (2013 NNS) in the Philippines reported that among children under 5 years old, the prevalence of malnutrition measured by underweight and stunting was 20% and 30%, respectively, and the prevalence starts to increase at 6–11 months [5]. Infants aged 6–11 months had the highest prevalence of anemia at 40.5%, and the prevalence of vitamin A deficiency was 27.9% [6]
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