Romo-Palafox Maria Jose, Ranjit Nalini, Sweitzer Sara J, Roberts-Gray Cindy, Byrd-Williams Courtney E, Briley Margaret E, Hoelscher Deanna M
a Michael & Susan Dell Center for Health Living , University of Texas Health Science Center, School of Public Health, Austin Regional Campus , Austin , Texas.
b Department of Health Promotion/Behavioral Sciences Austin , Texas.
J Am Coll Nutr. 2017 Mar-Apr;36(3):169-176. doi: 10.1080/07315724.2016.1240634. Epub 2017 Jan 12.
U.S. preschool children consume inadequate amounts of key nutrients. Understanding the contents of lunches packed by parents and consumed by their children can help identify areas of opportunity for the development of healthy food preferences.
To evaluate the nutrient adequacy of lunches packed by parents and consumed by children attending early care and education (ECE) centers.
Baseline data from 607 parent-child dyads in the "Lunch Is in the Bag" cluster-randomized controlled trial in Central Texas were examined. Foods packed by parents and consumed by children in sack lunches were observed at 30 ECE centers on 2 nonconsecutive days. Mean levels of energy, macronutrients, vitamins, and minerals were estimated with covariate-adjusted multilevel regression models that accounted for center-level clustering and repeated within-child measures.
Energy (kilocalories) was 602.48 for packed lunches compared to 374.40 for consumed lunches. In packed lunches, percentage of energy as macronutrients for protein (14.8%), carbohydrate (55.9%), and total fat (31.2%) were within the acceptable macronutrient distribution range (AMDR) for the children's ages. Sugar (28.9% of energy) was above the AMDR recommendation. Only a quarter of parents packed 33% or more of the child's dietary reference intake (DRI) for dietary fiber. Over half the parents packed 33% or more of the DRI for vitamin A and calcium, and less than one in 8 packed 33% of the DRI for potassium. Children consistently consumed between 60 and 80% of the nutrients that were packed.
Preschool children rely on parents to present them with healthy food choices, but lunches packed by parents for their preschool children do not consistently provide adequate nutrients. These data and the relationships between the dietary quality of packed and consumed lunches can be useful information to guide nutrition behavior change through targeted interventions.
美国学龄前儿童关键营养素摄入量不足。了解家长为孩子准备并由孩子食用的午餐内容，有助于确定培养健康食物偏好的机会领域。
评估家长为就读于早期护理和教育（ECE）中心的孩子准备并由其食用的午餐的营养充足性。
对德克萨斯州中部“午餐就在袋子里”整群随机对照试验中607对亲子二元组的基线数据进行了检查。在30个ECE中心，于2个非连续日观察家长准备并由孩子在袋装午餐中食用的食物。采用协变量调整的多水平回归模型估计能量、宏量营养素、维生素和矿物质的平均水平，该模型考虑了中心层面的聚类以及孩子内部的重复测量。
自带午餐的能量（千卡）为602.48，而食用午餐的能量为374.40。在自带午餐中，蛋白质（14.8%）、碳水化合物（55.9%）和总脂肪（31.2%）作为宏量营养素的能量百分比在孩子年龄对应的可接受宏量营养素分布范围（AMDR）内。糖（占能量的28.9%）高于AMDR推荐值。只有四分之一的家长准备的午餐中膳食纤维含量达到孩子膳食参考摄入量（DRI）的33%或更多。超过一半的家长准备的午餐中维生素A和钙含量达到DRI的33%或更多，而每8位家长中不到1位准备的午餐中钾含量达到DRI的33%。孩子们始终摄入了自带午餐中60%至80%的营养素。
学龄前儿童依赖家长为他们提供健康的食物选择，但家长为学龄前儿童准备的午餐并非始终能提供充足的营养素。这些数据以及自带午餐和食用午餐的膳食质量之间的关系，可为通过有针对性的干预措施来指导营养行为改变提供有用信息。
