Age and sex are not predictors of fruit and vegetable consumption in children

Caitlyn Dempsey, Lindsey Leighton, Elizabeth Massey, Amanda Rosenberg

Dietetic Internship
Graduate Programs in Human Nutrition,
Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR
Background
3-5 servings of fruits and vegetables a day are recommended for
children between 5-18 years of age. Driskell, et al (2008) found a
decrease in F/V consumption between elementary and middle school
aged children. Lytle, et al (2000) found that elementary school aged
children did not meet recommended F/V intake and that by middle
school, children did not comsume any F/V.









Students participating in the National School Lunch Program are
twice as likely to eat more fruits and vegetables (F/V)
3
.
Participants
1,336 students between the ages of 5-18 years old
Participated in various Lets Get Healthy! fairs across Oregon
and surrounding areas.










Exclusion Criteria
Outside of the age range of 5-18 years old
Reporting more than fifteen servings of fruit or vegetables a day
Did not participate in the diet analysis station.
Dietary Analysis Station
Daily F/V consumption was determined through a dietary analysis
station using the NHANES 2009-2010 dietary screening
questionnaire.











Conclusions
Results
The mean F/V intake of all age groups was below the
recommendations. To address the poor intake of F/V by children
and adolescents:
Fruit and vegetable nutrition education is necessary for all
age groups and both sexes
Further investigation is necessary to find out the barriers to
fruit and vegetable consumption for all ages groups
1
2
543
793
Sex
Males Females
Servings/Day
of F/V
Age groups (Years)
Table 4: Recommended Daily Fruit and Vegetable Intake*
Girls Boys Average Intake
of participants
5-8 yo 3 3 2.13
9-13 yo 3.5 4 2.52
14-18 yo 4 5 2.39
** Servings per day (1 cup raw, 1/2 cup cooked)
* According to the USDA, MyPlate
Age Groups
All Ages
Mean(SD)
Males
Mean(SD)
Females
Mean (SD)
5-10yo 2.1 +/- 1.1 2.0 +/- 0.7 2.2 +/- 1.4
11-14yo 2.5 +/- 1.7 3.0 +/- 2.1 2.5 +/- 1.7
15-18yo 2.4 +/- 1.5 3.2 +/- 2.2 2.4 +/- 1.5
All Ages
Males
Between Ages
Females
Between Ages
P-value 0.25 0.08 0.46
** Statistically significant difference(s) between age group(s) (P=0.05)
Table 1: Mean +/- SD F/V Intake of Participants
Mean intake of all age groups was below the recommend daily servings
Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) was used to determine differences in mean
F/V intake among:
All participants across age groups
Among males across age groups
Among females across age groups

T-tests were used to determine differences in mean F/V intake between
males and females overall and in each age group:
5-10 years of age
11-14 years of age
15-18 years of age
Statistical Analysis
There was no statistical difference in mean F/V consumption between:
- Children ages 5-10yo, 11-14yo, and 15-18yo
- Males and females between age groups
-Males and females
References
1. Driskell MM, et al. MHBC. 2008; 46:209-2015.
2. Lytle LA, et al. Am J Health Promot. 2000; 14:222-228.
3. Hakim SM, et al. JHCPU. 2013; 24:145-157. doi:
10.1353/hpu.2013.0109.