Abstract
Objective
To examine the relationship between ready-to-eat cereal consumption habits and body
mass index of a sample of children aged 4 to 12 years.
Design
Fourteen-day self-reported food diary records were obtained from a sample of 2,000
American households from February 1998 through February 1999. Height and weight of
the family members were also self-reported.
Subjects/setting
The sample population of 603 children, aged 4 to 12 years, was broken into tertiles
based on cereal consumption over the 14 days: (three or fewer, four to seven, or eight
or more servings).
Statistical analysis
Logistic regression and analysis of variance were used to determine associations between
frequency of ready-to-eat cereal consumption and body mass index or nutrient intakes.
Results
More than 90% of children aged 4 to 12 years consumed ready-to-eat cereal at least
once in the two-week collection period. Within tertiles of consumption, children in
the upper tertile had lower mean body mass indexes than those in the lowest tertile
consistently across all age groups (P<.01). Additionally, the proportion of children aged 4 to 12 years who were at risk
for overweight/overweight was significantly lower in the upper tertile of cereal consumption
(P<.05). Children in the upper tertile also had lower fat intakes and higher intakes
of many micronutrients.
Applications
The consumption of ready-to-eat cereals at breakfast should be encouraged as a component
of an eating pattern that promotes the maintenance of healthful body weights and nutrient
intakes in children.
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Biography
A. M. Albertson is a senior nutrition research scientist, S. J. Crockett is director of nutrition, and M. T. Goebel is a statistical programmer with The Bell Institute of Health and Nutrition, General Mills, Inc, Minnapolis, MN, USA
Biography
G. H. Anderson is a professor of nutrition with the Department of Nutrition Sciences, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Article info
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Copyright
© 2003 American Dietetic Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
