Nutritional Status of Selected Adolescent Children : I. DESCRIPTION OF SUBJECTS AND DIETARY FINDINGS

Abstract

Food nutrient intakes from seven-day dietary records are reported for 248 15 and 16 year-old native-born and reared Washington boys and girls selected from coastal (Snohomish County) and inland (Yakima County) areas of the State. Age group differences for the 12 calculated nutrients were not significant. The boys in Snohomish County consumed significantly more calcium than did the Yakima County boys. The ascorbic acid intakes of the Yakima girls were significantly less than those of the Snohomish County girls. Other differences between nutrient intakes in the two areas were not significant. The dietary intakes of the girls tended to be poorer than those of the boys. This was particularly true for iron, calcium, and ascorbic acid. Both boys and girls were low in ascorbic acid when compared to the National Research Council Recommended Allowances. According to the Baldwin-Wood standards, the Washington boys tend to be taller than average for their age. The mean height of the girls was similar to the Baldwin-Wood mean. A higher percentage of the girls than of the boys were overweight and were in the obese and stocky Wetzel physique channels. Sixty-five per cent of the boys and 58 per cent of the girls had a Wetzel developmental ratio of 1 or greater. The specific gravity, albumin content and glucose content of the fasting urines were “normal.” Average hemoglobin values for the boys in Snohomish and Yakima Counties were 14.6 and 15.0 grams per 100 ml of blood, and for the girls, 13.6 and 13.3 grams per 100 ml in the respective areas.