Egg Consumption in Adult Women from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES, 2007‐2010)

To provide supporting data for the development of an intervention to increase egg consumption in low‐income women, we analyzed a subset of women (age 18+) from NHANES. Food codes were used to characterize egg consumers based on the form of eggs consumed either as eaten alone or as a major ingredient. Women consuming very small amounts of egg (e.g. baked goods) were considered non‐consumers. All data were analyzed using appropriate survey weights and procedures in SAS Ver 9.3. Eggs eaten alone or as a major ingredient are consumed by 1.4% of adult women. Logistic regression models showed that body weight status, race/ethnicity and age were predictors of egg consumption. Obese women were more likely to consume eggs than lean women (OR 0.76, 95%CI 0.66‐0.88); Mexican‐American women were more likely to consume eggs than Non‐Hispanic White women (OR 1.38, 95%CI 1.08‐1.87). College graduates were more likely to be non‐consumers than high school graduates (OR 1.33, 95%CI 1.03‐1.73). Income was not a significant predictor of egg consumption. Egg consumers consume significantly more energy (p=0.02), fat (p=0.0003), cholesterol (p<0.0001), and protein (p=0.0009) than non‐consumers. No differences were found between consumers and non‐consumers for any of the micronutrients examined. The relationships between egg consumption and dietary factors did not change with adjustment for total energy intake, despite the observation that egg consumers have a higher caloric intake than non‐consumers. The low consumption of eggs observed in adult women provides some basis for an intervention to consume more eggs as part of a healthful diet . Funded by the American Egg Board