Pyramid Servings Research Articles

Intake of Food Guide Pyramid Servings: A Comparison of WIC Children in Wisconsin and Children from 1994 CSFII

The purpose of this study was to determine if foods provided by the Special Supplemental Food Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) affect selected indicators of diet quality among WIC participants. Recall data from 179 Wisconsin WIC children ages 2 to 5 years were converted to Food Guide Pyramid servings and compared to the 1994 Continuing Survey of Food Intakes of Individuals (CSFII) Food Guide Pyramid servings data. Three comparison groups were identified from CSFII for children ages 2 to 5 years in the mid-west region: WIC participants and non-WIC participants above and below 185% of the federal poverty level. Means and standard errors for the Wisconsin data were computed with SPSS for Windows; WesVarPC was used to obtain weighted means and standard errors for CSFII data. The number of Food Guide Pyramid servings were compared among groups using a z-test. In general, WIC participants consumed more of some dairy products and vegetables and less added sugar than the children not participating in WIC, suggesting a significant contribution of WIC supplemental foods and nutrition education to the dietary quality of its participants. These findings should be of particular interest to practitioners involved in program planning for WIC and persons who allocate funding to the WIC program.

The Effect of Income and Food Programs on Dietary Quality: A Seemingly Unrelated Regression Analysis with Error Components

AbstractThis article employs new Food Guide Pyramid servings data to measure how food intake is affected by income and two food programs. The analysis uses a maximum likelihood estimator that combines the seemingly unrelated regression and one‐way error component models, to account for two types of intrahousehold correlations. Participation in the Food Stamp Program is associated with higher intake of meats, added sugars, and total fats. Participation in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children is associated with lower intake of added sugars.

Food Guide Pyramid Practices of the Elderly

Elderly Americans are a rapidly growing segment of the US population. Increasing attention is being paid to the foods they eat and the development of chronic diseases. The Food Guide Pyramid specifies servings of food that contribute to a healthy diet and may prevent or delay such diseases. This study uses data from USDA's 1994-96 Continuing Survey of Food Intakes by Individuals, Pyramid Servings Data Base to identify Food Guide Pyramid practices of Americans 66 y and older (n=2127). Average daily intake of the five Food Guide Pyramid food groups and discretionary fat and sugar was compared to recommendations. Sociodemographic variables were examined as predictors of intake. Statistical analysis used one-way analysis of variance with Scheffe's analysis for multiple comparisons. On average, elders ate 5.7 servings of grain, 3.2 of vegetables, 1.9 of fruit, 1.2 of milk and 3.6 ounces of meat, meeting minimum servings recommendations for only vegetables. Elders with high income ate significantly (p ≤0.05) more servings of each of the five Pyramid food groups and larger amounts of discretionary fat and added sugar than elders with low income. White elders ate significantly more servings of total vegetables and milk than Black elders and more discretionary fat and added sugar than other elders. College-educated elders ate significantly more servings of total vegetables and fruit than those never attending college. Elders living in the Northeast and Midwest ate significantly more servings of grains and fruit than those living in the South. Affluent, white, college-educated elders who live in the Northeast or Midwest are more likely to eat at least the minimum servings of grains, vegetables and fruit when compared to other elders, but generally have higher intakes of discretionary fat and added sugar. On average, only one percent of the elders in this study met all the minimum serving recommendations of the Food Guide Pyramid. These findings have implications for nutrition education efforts and the use of the Food Guide Pyramid by elderly Americans.