BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES The aim of this study was to analyze specific foods influencing absolute nutrient intake and between-person variations of nutrient intake among Korean preschoolers. SUBJECTS/METHODS This study included 2,766 participants aged 1–5 years in the 2009–2013 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys. Dietary data were obtained from a 24-h dietary recall method. Major food sources of absolute nutrient intake were evaluated based on percent contribution of each food. To assess the contribution of specific foods to between-person variations in nutrient intake, stepwise multiple regressions were performed and cumulative R 2 was used. RESULTS White rice and milk were main food sources of energy, protein, carbohydrate, phosphorus, iron, potassium, thiamin, riboflavin, and niacin. The percentage of fat contributed by milk was 21.3% which was the highest, followed by pork, soybean oil, and egg. White rice accounted for 25% and 40% of total variability in total energy and carbohydrate intakes, respectively. About 39% of variation in calcium intake was explained by milk while 40% of variation in phosphorous intake was explained by cheese. The top 10 foods contributing to between-person variations in nutrient intakes were similar with food items that mainly contributed to absolute nutrient intakes. The number of foods explaining 90% of absolute amounts of nutrient intakes varied from 28 for vitamin A to 80 for iron. CONCLUSIONS This study identified specific foods that contributed to absolute nutrient intakes and between-person variations in nutrient intakes among Korean preschoolers. Our findings can be used to develop dietary assessment tools and establish food-based dietary guidelines for young children.

The interest of dietary supplement intake in early childhood is increasing. However, few studies have been conducted in Korea to examine the influence on health and growth. This study was conducted to assess the sociodemographic characteristics, health and growth outcomes, and dietary intakes of young children according to dietary supplement use in infancy. Data from 1,262 subjects aged 1‐3 years with 24hr diet recall data from Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey IV and V (2009‐2012) were analyzed. We compared the differences of sociodemographic characteristics, health and growth outcomes including diagnosed disease, perceived health state, current health problem, weight‐for‐age, height‐for‐age, and weight‐for‐height, and dietary intakes between supplement users and non‐users. The prevalence of supplement use was 34.4%. The supplement use was significantly higher in older children and children of mothers with lower education level or supplement use. No significant differences between groups were observed in dietary intakes and most of health and growth outcomes, however, children without diagnosed disease or with weight‐for‐age less than 10 percentile used supplement more than the counterparts. Therefore, the early supplement use may be related to age, diagnosed disease, weight‐for‐age, and mother's education level and supplement use. Further studies are needed to assess the influence of dietary supplement on the long term growth and health in Korean children.This research was supported by Basic Science Research Program through the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) funded by the Ministry of Science, ICT & Future Planning (grant no. 2013R1A1A2057600)