Consumption of calcium among African American adolescent girls.
OBJECTIVE
To determine the adequacy of calcium intake of children by demographic group in the Lower Mississippi Delta (LMD) and compare to national statistics.


METHODS
FOODS 2000 was used to examine the dietary calcium intake of LMD children and compare it to US children in the Continuing Survey of Food Intakes by Individuals (CSFII) 1994-1996, 1998.


METHODS
The sample of 465 non-Hispanic children 3-17 years of age who live in 36 counties of the LMD was identified by using list-assisted random digit dialing methods.


METHODS
The t tests and z tests were performed for within- and between-sample comparisons. Logistic regression, controlling for energy, race, sex, age, and nutrition assistance was used as a measure of the association of sample characteristics with meeting adequate intake (AI) for calcium. An algorithm was used to calculate the rankings of calcium consumption from food categories.


RESULTS
Children in the LMD consumed significantly less calcium (P < .05) than children in the US sample. Percent of AI for calcium decreased as age increased. Persons who consumed less than the AI for calcium include females, Blacks, those not receiving nutritional assistance, and older children. Less than 22% of LMD and 27% of US 9- to 17-year-old children met their calcium AI. Sources of calcium were similar across subgroups and all included milk as their top contributor to calcium intake.


CONCLUSIONS
Interventions are needed to increase adolescents' calcium consumption, with particular focus on 9- to 17-year-old African American girls.
University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Arkansas Children's Hospital Research Institute, 800 Marshall Street, Slot 603, Little Rock, AR 72202, USA. goolsbysl@archildrens.org
Susan L P
SL
Goolsby
Patrick H
PH
Casey
Janice E
JE
Stuff
Sahar
S
Zaghloul
Judith
J
Weber
Jeff
J
Gossett
Pippa
P
Simpson
Margaret L
ML
Bogle
D000293:Adolescent; D001741:Black or African American; D001131:Arkansas; D002118:Calcium / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004435:Eating / Q000208:ethnology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008145:Louisiana; D008297:Male; D008922:Mississippi; D009749:Nutrition Surveys
D002118:Calcium