Concordance with selected population recommendations for cancer prevention among third- and fourth-grade schoolchildren in Quetzaltenango, Guatemala.

BACKGROUND

The World Cancer Research Fund/American Institute for Cancer Research (WCRF/AICR) 1997 recommendations for cancer prevention were meant to apply to children as well as adults.

OBJECTIVE

To assess the concordance of behaviors and body composition of urban Guatemalan schoolchildren with the tenets of the WCRF/AICR 1997 recommendations.

METHODS

A survey was conducted involving determination of 24-hour consumption of foods and beverages by a pictorial registry and height and weight measurements in 355 third- and fourth-grade schoolchildren in the western highland city of Quetzaltenango, Guatemala. Based on a previous, exhaustive parsing of the population goal recommendations of the WCRF/AICR 1997 report, 25 subcomponents were identified. Eleven could be evaluated with the survey data collected. Adult population criteria could be applied in seven, whereas four components had unique criteria adapted to this juvenile survey setting.

RESULTS

The study sample was concordant on seven components-nutrient adequacy, total variety of foods consumed, plant-based diets, body mass index, vegetable and fruit intake, limitation of red meat consumption, and limitation of total fat consumption, and nonconcordant on four-variety of fruits and vegetables consumed, variety of starchy foods consumed, total intake of starchy foods, and limitation of sugar consumption.

CONCLUSIONS

Educational and public health actions need to be conceived and implemented to further improve the rate of concordance of these 11 components with the WCRF/AICR 1997 recommendations for cancer prevention.