Food sources of dairy and calcium in U.S. children age 2–18 years

In an effort to effectively encourage children to increase dairy and calcium intake, it is important to examine their actual food sources of dairy and calcium. This study investigated the food sources of dairy and calcium consumed by a nationally representative sample of children aged 2–18 years using individual foods files in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 1999–2000 and 2001–2002.7,716 children were separated into four age groups (2–3, 4–8, 9–13 and 14–18 year‐olds) with a combined total consumption of 19,165 dairy and 104,770 calcium food records. In younger children, fluid cow’s milk (whole, reduced fat, or non‐fat variety) contributed more than 50% of total dairy and more than 30% of total calcium intake, however, in older children less than 50% of total dairy and less than 30% of total calcium intake were from that source. Cheese alone or as an ingredient in pizza or pasta was the second highest contributor of total dairy and calcium, especially in 14–18 year‐olds where it contributed more than 30% to the total dairy and calcium consumption. Yogurt was in the top 10 food sources of dairy and calcium only in 2–3 year‐old children. In conclusion, older children obtained a relative high amount of dairy and calcium (16–24%) from cheese‐containing mixed foods, whereas younger children consumed milk, cheese and yogurt. Thus, promoting dairy and calcium intake in children should target age‐specific choices, especially for children older than 9 years. Supported by Pennsylvania State University, Population Research Institute Seed grant