The impact of dairy and sweetened beverage consumption on diet quality, nutrient intake, and weight of a multi‐ethnic population of Head Start mothers

Abstract

To assess the impact of milk and sweetened beverage (SwB) intake on diet and weight in Head Start mothers, three 24‐hour dietary recalls were collected on 609 Black (43%), Hispanic (33%), or White (24%) women in AL and TX. Women were divided into four beverage consumption groups: low milk/high SwB, high milk/low SwB, low milk/low SwB, & high milk/high SwB. Diet quality was assessed using the mean adequacy ratio (MAR). Analysis of variance was used to detect differences in continuous variables; X² was used for categorical outcomes. Covariates for general linear models were age, ethnicity, body mass index (BMI), and energy intake. MAR was higher in high milk/low SwB (71.9) than low milk/high SwB (58.7). High milk/low SwB had highest the intakes of vitamins A, D, and B6; riboflavin, thiamin, folate, phosphorus, calcium, iron, and potassium. Protein intake was higher in both low SwB groups than in the low milk/high SwB group. Total fat intake was highest in the low milk/low SwB, and lowest in high milk/high SwB. Intake of total and added sugars was higher in both high SwB groups when compared with the two low SwB groups. There was no difference in BMI across the four consumption groups. Overall, milk consumption was low. The high milk/low SwB group had better nutrient intakes, including higher consumption of calcium, potassium, and vitamin A—shortfall nutrients in adults. This work was supported by the USDA and Dairy Management, Inc.