Relationship of Estimated Nutrient Intakes of Iowa School Children to Physical and Biochemical Measurements

Abstract

Relationships between levels of nutrient intake of groups of school children and their development as revealed by body measurements, hemoglobin concentrations in blood, and serum concentrations of alkaline phosphatase, ascorbic acid and carotenoids have been studied. Comparisons were made between 223 children with liberal intakes of food energy and 8 nutrients and 432 children with diets considerably lower in nutritive value. These children were selected from a state-wide sample of public school children. Their nutrient consumption represented the upper and lower extremes found in a fairly well-fed school population. Dietary information was obtained by calculation of 7-day records. The N.R.C. Allowances were used as a basis for the dietary classifications. Children with the liberal diets which conformed fully to the Allowances, tended to be slightly taller, heavier, and larger in leg girth than the children with diets at the other extreme, which on the average were somewhat below the Allowances. No significant differences in hemoglobin or serum alkaline phosphatase concentrations were noted, though certain trends worthy of further study were observed. The mean serum concentrations of ascorbic acid and carotenoids reflected the intakes of these two substances by the two groups of children, but other influences on the serum concentrations were evident. Age-sex differences in the serum concentrations of these two substances were noted among the children with liberal intakes. Commonly used dietary study methods may detect group differences in nutrient consumption which in turn may be reflected in the nutritional status of the children. Larger differences might be expected in a more heterogeneous population than is found in Iowa. The differences in nutritional status of children noted in this study were small, but they are indicative of trends which need to be scrutinized for the large groups of children whose diets are not drastically poor, but may be suboptional in nutrient content. The significance of these differences to the long-time health and well-being of children should be assessed through longitudinal studies.