5-A-DAY - DIETARY BEHAVIOR AND THE FRUIT AND VEGETABLE INTAKE OF LATINO CHILDREN

Objectives. The purpose of the study was to examine children's intake of fruits and vegetables in relation to the recent national ''5-A-DAY' ' campaign. Methods. Four 24-hour dietary recalls per child collected from 205 mothers of 4- to 5-year-old urban Latino children were used t o analyze average 5-A-DAY fruit and vegetable consumption and examine associations between 5-A-DAY consumption, nutrient intakes, and eating patterns. Results. The reported mean servings per day of fruits and v egetables, as defined by 5-A-DAY criteria, were 1.8 and 1.0, respectiv ely, with Only 6.8% (n = 14) of the children averaging five or more se rvings per day. Fruit juice accounted for 36% of 5-A-DAY servings. The re were significant linear trends in intake of vitamins A and C, potas sium, iron, cholesterol, protein, and fiber across quintiles of 5-A-DA Y intake. There Were no differences among quintiles in intake of satur ated or total fat or in servings from most non-5-A-DAY food groups.Con clusions. Latino children's intake of fruits and vegetables falls far short of current recommendations. Fruit juice accounted for a dispropo rtionate amount of 5-A-DAY intake in this population. Sensible 5-A-DAY interventions should take into consideration the existing eating patt erns of the target population.