The Reported Dietary Fat Compostion of 9-12 Year Old Children in Southern Louisiana is Comparable to National Averages

Abstract

LEARNING OUTCOME: To describe the dietary composition of a group of racially balanced male and female school children in Southern Louisiana and compare intakes with national survey data. The diet composition of 123 students in East Baton Rouge parish was examined as part of a study designed to determine the relationship between energy expenditure and body size in a population balanced by race and sex. Fourth and fifth grade students kept daily diet records during an 8-day period while energy expenditure was determined using doubly labeled water. A separate session on a Saturday or holiday prior to the doubly labeled water experiment was held to train the subject to keep the diet record. The help of the parent or guardian was enlisted to ensure the completeness of the record and several types of measuring aids were provided to assist the subject. Lunch-time intakes during school days were recorded by nutrition research associates, who also reviewed the previous day's intake record. While we observed underreporting in total energy intake compared with energy expenditure, we noted that reported intakes were similar to those reported in NHANES III. The Caucasian children reported fat consumption at 34% of energy intake. African-American females and males reported fat consumption at 35% and 36% of energy intakes, respectively. Caucasian males reported the greatest total fat intake at 80.1 g (P<0.05), while intakes among the other children ranged from 57.5 g to 67.1 g. Saturated fat was reported at 12% of energy intake for Caucasian females and at 13% of energy intake for the other children. While obesity has been described as quite prevalent in the South, the reported fat as a percentage of calories does not show evidence that these children differ significantly from other areas of the United States. However, since underreporting of energy intake was evident in our study, we do not know whether this occurred across the board or as a result of certain foods missed. Therefore, new strategies need to be developed to correct for the misreported intake.