Food and Nutrient Intake in African American Children and Adolescents Aged 5 to 16 Years in Baltimore City

Abstract

Objective To describe food and nutrient intake for low-income, urban African American children and adolescents to highlight the need for further nutrition intervention programs and appropriate tools to address overweight and obesity. Methods This was a cross sectional study using interviewer-administered single 24-hour dietary recalls. Participants were low income African American boys and girls aged 5–16 years or their caregivers in Baltimore City. Frequency of food consumption and dietary intakes were analysed by gender and age groups. Results Eighty-one participants were included for analysis. Mean daily energy intakes exceeded Dietary Reference Intakes (DRIs) from 10 to 71% across all gender-age groups: 2,304 kcal for children aged 5–8 years; 2,429 kcal and 2,732 kcal for boys and girls aged 9–13 years, respectively; and 3,339 kcal and 2,846 kcal for boys and girls aged 14–16 years, respectively. The most frequently reported consumed foods were sweetened drinks, chips, candies, and milk across all age groups. The majority of participants (79–100%) did not meet the DRIs for dietary fiber and vitamin E across all gender-age groups. Milk accounted for 14%, 17%, and 21% of energy, fat, and protein intake, respectively, among children 5–8 years of age, while pizza was the top source of energy, fat, and protein (11%, 13%, and 18%, respectively) among 14–16 year old adolescents. Sweetened drinks and sweetened juices were major sources of sugar, contributing 33% for 5–8 year olds, 29% for 9–13 year olds and 35% for 14–16 year olds. Conclusions Mean daily energy intake exceeded dietary recommendations across all gender-age groups. This study has provided previously unavailable information on diet and highlights foods to be targeted in nutrition intervention programs.

Anthropometric Status and Nutritional Intake in Children (6–9 Years) in Valencia (Spain): The ANIVA Study

“…This result was similar to those reported in several Spanish studies [ 46 , 47 , 56 ]. The intake of carbohydrates and fiber was below that recommended, and this finding coincides with other authors [ 57 , 58 , 59 , 60 , 61 ]. These macronutrients are key nutrients for various body functions, and their low intake may be due children’s general rejection of vegetable and cereals.…”

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“…We found that nearly all articles included non-White children. Some articles focused exclusively on minority children, including 20 that focused specifically on African American children (52)(53)(54)(55)(56)(57)(58)(59)(60)(61)(62)(63)(64)(65)(66)(67)(68)(69)(70)(71); 19 that focused on Hispanic children (72)(73)(74)(75)(76)(77)(78)(79)(80)(81)(82)(83)(84)(85)(86)(87)(88)(89)(90); six that focused on Native American, Alaskan Native or American Indian children (91)(92)(93)(94)(95)(96); and one that focused on Asian or Asian-American children (97). These articles may serve as references to evaluators wishing to assess beverage consumption in these populations, although evaluators should attend to whether the assessment methods described in these articles have been ...…”

A youth mentor-led nutritional intervention in urban recreation centers: a promising strategy for childhood obesity prevention in low-income neighborhoods

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“…Obesity in low-income urban areas has been associated with environmental factors such as low availability and high prices of healthy foods, especially when compared with the low prices of high-fat and high-sugar foods [12]. A study conducted in Baltimore observed that 43% of African-American neighborhoods had low availability of healthy foods [17]. Despite this population vulnerability to obesity, there has been a lack of obesity prevention studies in low-income urban populations.…”