THE TRACKING OF NUTRIENT INTAKE IN YOUNG-CHILDREN - THE FRAMINGHAM CHILDRENS STUDY

Objectives. This study compared the nutrient intake of children at 3 t hrough 4 years of age with that in subsequent years to determine wheth er nutrient intake tracked over time. Methods. Intakes of 10 nutrients were estimated by means of multiple days of food diaries collected ov er a Span of up to 6 years of follow-up for 95-children in the Framing ham Children's Study. All diaries collected during each of three age p eriods (age 3 through 4, age 5 through 6, and age 7 through 8) were av eraged. Nutrient density intakes at each age period were compared. Res ults. Nutrient-specific correlations ranged from .37 to .63 between nu trient density intakes at age 3-4 and age 5-6. Correlations between in takes at age 3-4 and age 7-8 ranged from .35 to .62. Consistency of cl assification was strong; 35.7% to 57.1% of children in the highest qui ntile of intake at age 3-4 remained in that quintile at age 5-6, and 5 7.1% to 85.7% remained in the top two quintiles. At age 7-8, 40.0% to 66.7% of those with the highest intake at baseline were still in the t op quintile, and 60.0% to 93.3% remained in the top two quintiles. Res ults mere similar in the lowest quintile of intake. Extreme misclassif ication was rare. Conclusions. This study suggests that tracking of nu trient intake begins':as young as 3-4 years of age.