Food group adherence scores assess food patterns compared to US Department of Agriculture Food Guide.
OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this study was twofold: (a) develop and test the potential usefulness of a new measure of dietary adherence to the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food Guide and (b) use this measure to assess the diets of children in the United States.


METHODS
Using 2 days of food intake data from the 1994-1996, 1998 Continuing Survey of Food Intakes by Individuals, food group adherence scores for individual food groups were calculated based on intake and recommendations from the USDA Food Guide.


METHODS
Two samples of children, age 2 to 3 years (n=2,815) and 4 to 8 years (n=3,769), were selected from the 1994-1996, 1998 Continuing Survey of Food Intakes by Individuals.


METHODS
Descriptive statistics were computed by age and sex. Linear regression analysis was used to detect significant differences in adherence scores and number of servings consumed between age groups after adjusting for factors that impact intake.


RESULTS
Comparing the two age groups, differences in the food group adherence scores for some food groups did not mimic the differences seen in mean number of servings from the same food group. For these two age groups of children, although the number of servings from the food groups significantly increased with increasing age, the adherence scores significantly decreased, reflecting decreased adherence to the recommended food patterns by age.


CONCLUSIONS
Results suggest adherence to the USDA Food Guide decreases with increasing age in young children in the United States. Adherence scores may be a useful tool to describe adherence to the new USDA Food Guide. These scores could be used in program evaluation, surveillance, and epidemiological studies of diet and health.
Knol
Linda L
LL
Human Nutrition and Hospitality Management, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL 35487-0158, USA. lknol@ches.ua.edu
Haughton
Betsy
B
Fitzhugh
Eugene C
EC
D000367:Age Factors; D002648:Child; D002664:Child Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004032:Diet / Q000145:classification* / Q000592:standards*; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005260:Female; D005502:Food / Q000145:classification*; D006801:Humans; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D018673:Nutrition Policy; D009749:Nutrition Surveys; D009753:Nutritive Value; D012737:Sex Factors; D014481:United States; D016885:United States Department of Agriculture