Marginal vitamin and mineral intake of Costa Rican adolescents

Background. Although a great deal of attention is given to macronutrient an d energy intake in the diet, elements essential to dietary metabolic balanc e include important micronutrients. Very little information exists on vitam in and mineral intake during adolescence, especially in developing countrie s. Methods. The micronutrient intake of urban and rural adolescents aged 12-19 years from the Costa Rican capital city, San Jose, was evaluated. Prospect ive 3-day diet records including 2 weekdays and 1 weekend day were used for dietary data. We evaluated the micronutrient intake to determine the nutri ent adequacy ratio. Results. Approximately 30% of adolescents did not meet the 70% level of the daily recommended intake (DRI) for vitamin B12. Additionally, 40% of the C osta Rican youngsters presented a vitamin A, E, and iron intake of between 30 and 69% of the DRI or recommended daily dose (RDA) for these nutrients. Likewise, approximately 15% of adolescents did not meet 30% of the DRI or R DA indicators for these nutrients. The micronutrients most at risk for inad equate intake were zinc, calcium, magnesium, and folate: more than 25% of t he adolescents did not meet 50% of DRI or RDA indications fur these micronu trients. Contrariwise, vitamin C, vitamin B6, thiamin, riboflavin, and niac in were the nutrients less at risk for inadequate intake. Fast foods prepar ed in school cafeterias provided approximately 15-30% of the DRI for vitami ns B1, B2. B6, B12, and niacin, approximately 18% of the RDA for iron, and over 40% of the RDA for vitamin E. Conclusions. Nutritional interventions and educational strategies are neede d to promote the adoption of healthful eating habits among adolescents. (C) 2001 IMSS. Published by Elsevier Science Inc.