Project EAT-I found there are large gaps between nutrition recommendations and actual nutrient intake among adolescents. Among the students surveyed, only 30% of females and 42% of males consumed the recommended amount of calcium (1300 mg or more per day). Approximately 45% of both females and males ate more than 2 servings of fruit per day, while only about 16% ate more than 3 servings of vegetables per day. Grain intake was also low, with only 36% of females and about 44% of males consuming 6 or more servings per day. Over half of the females and almost 45% of the males surveyed were eating 30% or fewer calories from fat.  Younger students (middle school) had higher calcium, fruit, vegetable, and grain intakes than older students. Fat intakes were higher among older females and were relatively similar among males of different ages.
Across ethnicity, nutrient intakes varied considerably:
Fewer African American and Native American females and African American males were eating a low-fat diet (≤ 30% of calories from fat), as compared to their White, Asian American, and Hispanic peers. Fewer Asian American and Hispanic females met calcium intake recommendations compared to their peers. White males most frequently met calcium recommendations, while few Asian American males met calcium recommendations. Asian-American and Hispanic youth most frequently reported eating 5 or more fruits and vegetables daily. Over the 5 years between Project EAT-I and Project EAT-II, young people decreased their intake of fruits and vegetables as they transitioned from middle school to high school and from high school to post-high school. Results also showed a secular decrease in fruit and vegetable intake among high school students between 1999 and 2004.
Please also see our publications on dietary patterns... |
Link
to: Academic Health Center : School
of Public Health : U of M Home 
Project EAT: Results
