title: Early puberty in African-American girls: nutrition past and present.
abstract: This study focused on nutrition and the changes in food intake over time to explain the onset of early pubertal signs in African-American girls. The daily nutritional intake of two diametrically opposite generations of African-American females was compared. The first group included 20 girls between the ages of 5 and 7 and the second group included 28 women between the ages of 70 and 85. The older African-American women were asked to remember the meals they had when they were young. Results revealed significant differences in terms of both quantity and quality of food consumed. Specifically, the women reported eating two meals a day when they were young while the girls reported eating at least three meals. Also, for breakfast, the girls consumed significantly more milk and fruits than did the women. For lunch, the girls consumed significantly more bread and grains, vegetables, meat, and milk than did the women. For dinner, the women consumed significantly more bread and grains. Thus, significant differences between the nutrition of African-American girls about 60 to 70 years ago and those of today were revealed. Implications of these findings are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Psychology Department, Clark Atlanta University, Georgia, USA.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Talpade
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Talpade
mesh_terms: D001741:Black or African American; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D044383:Black People; D002648:Child; D002664:Child Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008572:Menarche; D010865:Pilot Projects; D014481:United States