Actual dairy and calcium intake in US children age 2-18 years

Adequate intake of dairy and calcium are essential for growth and maintaining bone health during childhood and adolescence. Many health organizations have made dairy and calcium recommendations, particularly for children and adolescents. However, it is necessary to understand their actual intake status. This study investigated the actual dairy and calcium consumption comparing to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommendations. A nationally representative sample of children aged 2-18 years with individual foods files in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 1999-2000 and 2001-2002 have been analyzed. 7,716 children were separated into four age groups (2-3, 4-8, 9-13 and 14-18 year-olds) with a combined total consumption of 19,165 dairy and 104,770 calcium food records. The proportion of children meeting the AAP dairy recommendation in 2-3 year-olds (48%) was much higher than the proportion in other age groups. Only 10% of children in 9-13 year-olds met the dairy recommendation (4 cups). For actual calcium intake, more than 50% of younger children consumed sufficiently; whereas, less than 27% of older children met the calcium recommendation (1300mg). In conclusion, promoting adequate intake of dairy and calcium is urging, especially for children in 9-13 year-olds. Supported by Pennsylvania State University, Population Research Institute Seed grant