Trends in Nutrient Intake of 10-Year-Old Children From 1973-1994: The Bogalusa Heart Study

Abstract

Twenty-four hour dietary recalls were obtained from 7 cohorts of 10 year-old-children (35% black, 65% white; N=1465) over a 21 year period. Secular trends in energy, macronutrient, cholesterol, and fatty acid intakes were compared with dietary recommendations and trends in food consumption patterns. Total energy intake was virtually the same over the study period (2054-2224 kcal); boys had higher intakes than girls. There was a negative trend for energy intake relative to body weight (65.5+28.6 [SD] to 55.4+26.1; p<.0001) due to increases in absolute weight. Linear trends over time were observed for total fat (93. l[gm] ±46.5 to 84.6+40.4; p< 003); saturated fat (38.2 [gm]+18.9 to 29.7+16.0; p< 0001); unsaturated fat (49.1 [gm]+26.2 to 42.3±22.9; p<.0001); and cholesterol (324[mg]+219 to 246+181; p<.0001). There was a significant increase in percent energy from protein (13.0+3.4 to 13.9+3.8; p<.001) and carbohydrate (49.4+ 9.5 to 51.3+9.2; p<.002); and a significant decrease in percent energy from fat (38.4+7.9 to 35.8+8.0; p< 0001), primarily saturated (15.9+3.5 to!2.5+4.0; p<.0001) and monounsaturated (14.1+4.3 to 11.9+3.0; p<.0001) fats. Trends in nutrient intake are consistent with trends in types of foods consumed by children. The percentage of fat from mixed meats, poultry, breads, and grains has increased. Despite improvement in intake of children, 80%, 70%, and 73% exceeded the recommended intake for total fat, saturated fat, and dietary cholesterol, respectively. Data suggest that there is an ongoing need for continued monitoring of dietary intakes and health promotion efforts for US children.