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Title: Ready-to-eat cereal consumption is associated with improved nutrient intake status and body weight measures in American children: Results from NHANES, 1999-2002

Author
item Nicklas, Theresa
item O'NEIL, CAROL - LOUISIANA STATE UNIV
item CHO, SUSAN - NUTRASOURCE

Submitted to: Pediatric Academic Society
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/1/2007
Publication Date: 5/5/2007
Citation: Nicklas, T.A., O'Neil, C.E., Cho, S.S. 2007. Ready-to-eat cereal consumption is associated with improved nutrient intake status and body weight measures in American children: Results from NHANES, 1999-2002 [abstract]. Pediatric Academic Societies. Abstract No. 8406.5.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Breakfast consumption has been identified as an important factor in the nutritional well-being of children. Several studies have indicated that omission of breakfast or consumption of an inadequate breakfast contributes to a higher risk of being overweight and developing dietary inadequacies that are rarely compensated for in other meals throughout the day. In particular, ready to eat cereal (RTEC) consumption has been associated with improved nutrient intake status and body weight measures. The objective of this study is to examine the impact of breakfast and RTEC consumption at breakfast on nutrient intake status and body weight measures of 1- to 13-year-old US children. Twenty-four-hour dietary recalls and body weight measures were obtained on 5329 children in the NHANES, 1999-2002, which were stratified into 3 age/gender groups (ages 1-3 y, 4-8 y, 9-13 y). Nutrient intake profiles and body weight measures of breakfast skippers and RTEC consumers were compared. Means and standard errors were generated, and PROC regression analysis was performed after adjusting for energy intake, age, gender, and ethnicity. Age was positively related to breakfast skipping: 7.7% of children aged 1-3 y, 12% of children aged 4-8 y, and 21.5% of children aged 9-13 y. Approximately 42% of children aged 1-3 y, 40% of children aged 4-8 y and 33% of children aged 9-13 y reported eating RTEC at breakfast. Compared to breakfast skippers, RTEC consumers had significantly higher intakes of vitamins A, C, B1, B2, B6, and B12, folate, magnesium, calcium, potassium and iron (p < 0.05 in all analyses) in all age groups. In children aged 9-13 y, RTEC consumption was associated with a lower body mass index than breakfast skippers. Consumption of RTEC at breakfast should be encouraged as part of healthy eating pattern that promotes increased vitamin and mineral intakes in children and possibly the maintenance of desirable body weights.