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Increasing dietary diversity among Filipino children improves the likelihood of nutrient adequacy
Author(s) -
Daniels Melissa Christensen,
Adair Linda S
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.20.5.a1050-c
Subject(s) - niacin , nutrient , riboflavin , food group , vitamin , medicine , dietary diversity , environmental health , zoology , food science , biology , food security , ecology , agriculture , endocrinology
Dietary Diversity Scores (DDS) are gaining favor as a simple method of screening for diet quality in developing countries. These scores are a simple tally of food groups eaten during a given time period, with groups based on similar taxonomies and profiles of key nutrients. Increased research on DDS is warranted because of their potential for improving identification and treatment of nutritionally at‐risk populations. We evaluated a DDS containing nine food groups for ability to predict nutrient adequacy in early childhood. Our sample was comprised of 2,462 Filipino children whose mothers participated in the Cebu Longitudinal Health and Nutrition Survey. DDS and nutrient adequacy were calculated from a 24 hr recall taken at age 2 y. Children consuming the average 4.2 food groups per day (SD=1.5) were most likely to consume staple foods (100%) followed by meat, fish or poultry (94%), oils (62%), vitamin A‐rich fruits and vegetables (42%), and other fruits (32%). Consumption was lower for legumes (19%), other vegetables (17%), dairy (29%) and eggs (6%). Selected nutrients intakes were evaluated as a percentage of the World Health Organization's Recommended Nutrient Intakes (RNI). Percent RNI was significantly correlated and increased monotonically with DDS for calcium (r=0.36)), iron (r=0.38), thiamin (r=0.47), riboflavin (r=0.50) and niacin (r=0.37). Percent vitamin A intake also increased (r=0.47), but were similar for the highest levels of DDS (scores 7 through 9). Linear regression analysis revealed that the DDS was significantly positively associated with household income, mother's education, and living in an urban area. This research was supported by NIH Nutrition Training Grant # 5T32DK07686