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Fruit and vegetable consumption in preschool-aged, low-income Mexican-American children
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Ramos, Isabel. Fruit and vegetable consumption in preschool-aged, low-income Mexican-American children. Retrieved from https://doi.org/doi:10.7282/T3WW7GDZ

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TitleFruit and vegetable consumption in preschool-aged, low-income Mexican-American children
NameRamos, Isabel (author); Worobey, John (chair); Byrd-Bredbenner, Carol (internal member); Hoffman, Daniel (internal member); Rutgers University; Graduate School - New Brunswick
Date Created2012
Other Date2012-10 (degree)
SubjectNutritional Sciences, Mexican American children--Health and hygiene, Mexican American children--Health risk assessment, Obesity in children--Prevention, Diet therapy for children, Children--Nutrition--Psychological aspects
Extentix, 62 p. : ill.
DescriptionChildhood obesity is an emerging epidemic. According to data found in the Pediatric Nutrition Surveillance System, over 12.5 million children are overweight or obese in the United States. The prevalence of obesity is higher in Mexican-American children than other ethnic groups in the US. Current research has found that higher intakes of fruits and vegetables have been shown to help prevent and reduce chronic diseases like obesity. Low fruit and vegetable consumption may also be a contributing factor to unhealthy weight gain in children. Moreover, low consumption of fruits and vegetables may reinforce the preference for other unhealthful foods like sugar-sweetened beverages and refined carbohydrates. The objective of this study was to look at fruit and vegetable consumption in Mexican-American children at ages 2 and 4, and to examine its association with their weight status. At both time points, fruits and vegetables were estimated in cups and the nutrient intake was analyzed. It was found that fruit intake met the 2010 USDA food guidelines set for these ages, but significantly lower consumption of vegetables was observed at both ages. Micronutrients found in fruits and vegetables showed that vitamin A, C, and folate met the Dietary Reference Intakes (DRI) set for 2- and 4- year old children. However, significantly low intakes in vitamin E and potassium were observed. Furthermore, dietary fiber was significantly below the DRI at both time points. A significant 12% increase in the BMI-for-age percentile from children at 2 years of age to 4 years of age was found. However, no relationship was found between fruit and vegetable consumption with BMI-for-age percentile. Nevertheless, fruit and vegetable consumption remains important because of the vital role it plays in preventing and reducing chronic diseases in the Mexican-American population.
NoteM.S.
NoteIncludes bibliographical references
Noteby Isabel Ramos
Genretheses, ETD graduate
Persistent URLhttps://doi.org/doi:10.7282/T3WW7GDZ
Languageeng
CollectionGraduate School - New Brunswick Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Organization NameRutgers, The State University of New Jersey
RightsThe author owns the copyright to this work.
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