VITAMIN AND MINERAL INTAKES OF ANGLO-AMERICAN AND MEXICAN-AMERICAN PRESCHOOLERS

Objective To assess vitamin and mineral intakes of Anglo-American and Mexican-American preschoolers. Design By use of interview and observat ion methods, acquire food intake data, calculate total nutrient intake , and compare selected nutrients to the Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDAs) for ethnic and gender groups. Subjects Low- to middle-income p arents and their preschool children (N=351) recruited from preschools in San Diego, Calif, consented to participate in the Study of Children 's Activity and Nutrition conducted by researchers at the University o f California, San Diego. Main outcome measures Data regarding 15 nutri ents were summarized based on the average of two food intake records f ar each preschooler. Statistical analyses performed Means and standard deviations were used to describe micronutrient intakes for ethnic and gender groups; analyses of variance and t tests were performed to det ermine ethnic and gender difference. Results Boys and Anglo-Americans had higher total nutrient intakes than girls and Mexican-Americans, re spectively. Mexican-Americans had higher nutrient intakes per energy i ntake, which indicates a micronutrient-dense diet. When each nutrient was considered by the two thirds of the RDA criterion (66% of the RDA means adequate intake), the nutrients most likely to be inadequate wer e iron, zinc, vitamin D, vitamin C, and niacin. Mexican-American girls had significantly lower calcium intakes than the other gender and eth nic groups. Application Parents and day care providers must ensure tha t preschoolers, especially girls and Mexican-Americans, eat nutrient-r ich foods in adequate quantities that will achieve the recommended int akes.