Objective. Because fiber intake among children in the United States is
poorly documented, our objectives were to determine intakes and sourc
es of fiber in the diets of children 2 to 18 years of age and to exami
ne the trends. Methods. We used the US Department of Agriculture's 197
7 to 1978 and 1987 to 1988 Nationwide Food Consumption Surveys for our
analysis. Children were classified by age and gender groups, 2 to 5 y
ears, 6 to 11 years, boys 12 to 18 years, and girls 12 to 18 years. Th
e percentages of children meeting the American Health Foundation's fib
er recommendations for children were also determined. Results. Analyse
s of the US Department of Agriculture's 1977-1978 and 1987-1988 survey
data indicate that (1) large percentages (55% to 90%) of children are
not meeting minimum fiber intake recommendations established by the A
merican Health Foundation; (2) mean fiber intakes declined between 197
7-1978 and 1987-1988; (3) fiber from fruits and vegetables declined du
ring this period; and (4) fiber from grains, especially from ready-to-
eat breakfast cereals, increased significantly. The results also show
that eating breakfast contributes to meeting daily fiber recommendatio
ns. Conclusions. Given the importance of fiber in promoting optimum ga
strointestinal function in childhood and in treating chronic diseases
such as heart disease, diabetes, and cancer in adulthood, the trends d
ocumented in this article are disturbing and suggest that efforts are
needed to encourage the consumption of fiber-rich foods among children
.