Micronutrient Adequacy in Preschool Children Attending Family Child Care Homes

Abstract

Limited data is available on the micronutrient intake and adequacy in preschool children enrolled in family child care homes (FCCH). The goal of this paper is to describe the micronutrient adequacy relative to age-specific recommendations of preschool-aged children (aged 2–5 years) attending FCCH in Rhode Island (RI). Dietary data among younger preschoolers (aged 2–3 years), n = 245) and older preschoolers (aged 4–5 years), n = 121) in 118 RI FCCH (N = 366 children) were analyzed. Nutrient adequacy was assessed as the amount of nutrient per 1000 kcal of the diet that would meet the Institute of Medicine nutrient requirements (critical nutrient density), and it was compared to the observed nutrient densities of the children. The sodium:potassium ratio was also calculated. For most micronutrients, the observed density met or exceeded the recommendation, meaning the children’s intake was adequate. However, a high proportion of children had nutrient densities under the recommendation for vitamins D, E, K, and potassium (86.1%, 89.1%, 70.8%, and 99.2% of children, respectively). The mean vitamin B12, potassium, and zinc densities were statistically higher in younger vs. older preschoolers (p < 0.05 for all). Low densities in calcium and vitamins K and B5 were more frequent in older children vs. younger children (p < 0.05). In addition, older preschoolers had a higher sodium:potassium ratio than younger children (p < 0.05). The micronutrient intake density was adequate for most nutrients. However, intake of some nutrients was of concern. Further attention to training and compliance in FCCH may improve the diet quality of those cared for in these settings.

Correlates of children's dietary intake, physical activity and sedentary behavior in home-based childcare: A systematic review

“…All studies that measured children's dietary intake used the Diet Observation at Child Care methodology ( Table 3 ). Two studies used baseline data from the Keys to Healthy Family Child Care Homes (Keys) intervention ( Benjamin-Neelon et al, 2018 , Tovar et al, 2018a ), one study used follow-up data from the Keys intervention ( Tovar et al, 2018b ) and three studies used baseline data from the Healthy Start/Comienzos Sanos (Healthy Start) intervention ( Cuadrado-Soto et al, 2019 , Ramirez et al, 2020 , Tovar et al, 2020 ). Educators provided food for children in all the studies.…”

Scenario Analysis of a Municipality’s Food Purchase to Simultaneously Improve Nutritional Quality and Lower Carbon Emission for Child-Care Centers

“…The nutrients that had a lower mean observed density than recommended included vitamin D, calcium and iron. A study by Cuadrado-Soto et al in Rhode Island (US) likewise found the micronutrient intake density to be adequate for most nutrients among preschoolers across two full days of child care [41]. However, intake of some nutrients was of concern including vitamins D, E, K and potassium [41].…”

“…Child-care centers provide meals and snacks to children, covering up to half of children's daily nutrient intake [33,41,42]. In order to ensure the children receive a healthy meal at the child-care centers, it is important that children are offered meals containing sufficient energy and having the right nutritional composition that contributes to their overall diet.…”

“…A study by Cuadrado-Soto et al in Rhode Island (US) likewise found the micronutrient intake density to be adequate for most nutrients among preschoolers across two full days of child care [41]. However, intake of some nutrients was of concern including vitamins D, E, K and potassium [41]. An adequate amount of vitamin D is known to be challenging to reach due to a limited amount naturally available in many food products [32].…”

Dietary Contributors to Food Group Intake in Preschool Children Attending Family Childcare Homes: Differences between Latino and Non-Latino Providers

“…Furthermore, many of these studies have been conducted in childcare centers, and even though FCCHs provide care of a substantial number of preschoolers, studies exploring what children are consuming in FCCHs are limited [42]. While some studies have been conducted in FCCHs, these have assessed overall diet quality and major food groups [12,22,[42][43][44][45], and have not examined the specific food items that contribute to major food groups and have not looked at differences in specific food sources by FCCPs ethnicity. This information is necessary to develop more effective, culturally targeted interventions, training, and education [17,22]; however, research examining the differences in foods between Latino and non-Latino FCCPs is limited.…”