Ethnicity and Nutrition of Adolescent Girls in Hawaii

• Published in: Journal of the American Dietetic Association Vol. 106; no. 2; pp. 221 - 226
• Main Authors: Daida, Yihe, Novotny, Rachel, Grove, John S., Acharya, Sushama, Vogt, Thomas M.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Inc 01.02.2006; Elsevier Limited
• Subjects: Adolescent; adolescent nutrition; Adolescent Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; adolescents; Analysis of Variance; Asia - ethnology; Body Mass Index; Calcium, Dietary - administration & dosage; Carbonated Beverages; Child; Child Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; Comparative studies; Cross-Sectional Studies; Diet - standards; Diet Surveys; Dietary Fiber - administration & dosage; eating habits; Ethnic Groups; Ethnicity; Feeding Behavior - ethnology; Female; Folic Acid - administration & dosage; food groups; food intake; Girls; Hawaii; Health Promotion; Humans; Iron, Dietary - administration & dosage; modernization; nationalities and ethnic groups; Nutrition; nutrition assessment; Skinfold Thickness; Teenagers; Hawaii
• ISSN: 0002-8223; 2212-2672; 1878-3570; 2212-2680
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jada.2005.10.032

To describe the ethnicity and nutrition of adolescent girls in Hawaii. This was a cross-sectional survey. Girls, aged 9 to 14 years, were identified from the membership files of Kaiser Permanente Hawaii, a large Hawaii health maintenance organization. Nutrient and food group intakes were compared against recommended intakes, physical activity levels, and anthropometric measurements of height, weight, body mass index (BMI), and subscapular and iliac skinfold thicknesses. Asian girls, girls of mixed ethnicity, and white girls were compared using analysis of variance. Although Asian girls weighed the least and were the most sedentary, white girls had the lowest BMIs. Mixed ethnicity girls had the highest weights, BMIs, and subscapular and iliac skinfold thicknesses. No significant differences were found in major macronutrient intake. However, mixed ethnicity and Asian girls had lower fiber, iron, folate, and calcium intake than white girls. All groups met recommendations for iron intake, whereas none met fiber and calcium recommendations. All girls met folate recommendations. No differences were found in intakes for tofu, soy, grains, vegetables, or fruit and nuts food groups. Mixed ethnicity girls had the highest sweetened carbonated beverage intake although overall sugar intake was highest in white girls. Asian and mixed ethnicity girls’ meat intakes were higher than white girls’. Intakes of mixed ethnicity girls more closely resembled those of Asians, although they exhibited the highest BMIs. These data suggest grain, vegetable, fruit, and dairy intake should be encouraged as part of a balanced diet for adolescent girls in Hawaii.