Changes in food group consumption patterns from childhood to young adulthood: The Bogalusa Heart Study

Objective The objective of this study was to assess changes in food group consumption patterns from childhood to young adulthood. Design Twenty-four-hour dietary recalls were collected on a longitudinal sample of young adults. Subjects/Setting Dietary intake data were collected on 246 young adults (70% European American, 30% African American) aged 19 to 28 years who participated in a previous cross-sectional survey when they were 10-year-olds. Statistical Analyses Descriptive statistics and linear mixed models adjusting for study time (age), sex, and ethnicity. Results In childhood, consumption of fruits/fruit juice and mixed meats (Pless than or equal to.05), desserts, candy, and milk (Pless than or equal to.0001) were greater than in young adulthood. Young adulthood consumption was greater for sweetened beverages, poultry and seafood (Pless than or equal to.001), salty snacks (Pless than or equal to.05), and beef (Pless than or equal to.01) compared to childhood. Milk consumption decreased, but the decrease was greater among males (Pless than or equal to.0001). Sweetened beverage consumption increased, but the increase was greater for European Americans (Pless than or equal to.0001). Candy consumption decreased, but the decrease was greater for African Americans (Pless than or equal to.05). Conclusions Changes occur in food group consumption patterns from childhood to young adulthood. Overall, there was a decrease in diet quality during this age transition. Understanding eating habits of children early in life is important for planning effective intervention strategies.