Submitted by: Glenda Warren, MS, RD, CFCS

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Fulgoni III, Victor, et al. 2007/2. Dairy Consumption and Related Nutrient Intake in African-American Adults and Children in the United States: Continuing Survey of Food Intakes by Individuals 1994-1996, 1998, and the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 1999-2000. Journal of the American Dietetic Association 107, no. 2:256-264.

Introduction

This study sought to establish baseline data of the dairy consumption and the intake of dairy related nutrients by African American adults and children. Researchers compared the data with dairy consumption data of non-African Americans of all ages.

Methodology

Data in the study came from analyzing the Continuing Survey of Food Intakes by Individuals 1994-1996, 1998 and the NHANES 1999-2000.

Main Ideas

Investigators found that all age groups of African Americans consumed fewer mean servings daily of dairy, and that they have lower mean intakes of calcium, magnesium, and phosphorous. The comparisons were made of the differences related to age, gender and race.

In the discussion, these researchers noted the probable relationship of lactose maldigestion as partial blame for the low dairy consumption and provided some dietary management strategies that have been effective in addressing lactose intolerance.

Emphasis was also placed on the “total nutrient package found in dairy foods” and the advantage of dairy foods over other foods as a primary source of dietary calcium. Low-fat dairy foods not only provide an excellent source of calcium but also provide significant amounts of other nutrients necessary for good health. These include Vitamins A, D, B-12, riboflavin and potassium among others . The nutrients in dairy foods act together to increase the overall nutrition gained from intake.

Implications for Extension

• Culturally sensitive approaches are needed to promote consumption of dairy products and other calcium rich sources in the diet.
• Lactose intolerance should be addressed with effective management strategies. Examples:
• Consuming the daily recommended amount of dairy in several small portions throughout the day
• Try lactose-reduced dairy products. Look for lactose-reduced or lactose-free on the labels.
• Dairy products consumed as part of meals may ease digestion.
• Choose yogurt or natural cheeses as a source of dairy nutrients.
• Use delivery systems that have been effective in reaching African Americans. These include:
• Schools
• Churches
• Community Health Centers
• Other community centers and organizations

Submitted by: Eboni J. Baugh, Ph.D., CFLE, Assistant Professor of Family Life

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Wilson, Diane. “ From mothers to daughters: Transgenerational food and diet communication in an underserved group .” Journal of Cultural Diversity, 11, 1, (Spring, 2004), (accessed January 16, 2007).

Introduction

Research has highlighted the impact mothers have on the food choices, diet, and body image of their daughters. Through verbal messages and nonverbal modeling, mothers communicate expectations in relation to body size and subsequently influence the body satisfaction of their daughters. The influence found within this relationship is present within most American racial and ethnic groups, but often manifests itself in different ways.

There is extensive information available on a mother’s contribution to her daughter’s diet, excessive exercise, and body dissatisfaction leading to risk for eating disorders. Additionally, there is a generational link between this relationship and the risk for obesity. The risk for obesity tends to increase in low-income and minorities. Due to poor eating habits and limited information on proper nutrition, low-income Americans remain at an increased risk for obesity. African American women are at a greater risk for being

overweight and obese. Although, obesity rates in women have remained steady in recent years, 77.4% of African American women are overweight and/or obese in comparison to their White (57.3%) and Hispanic (71.9%) counterparts. For instance, mothers in low-income households tend to have a greater influence on food choices often due to lack of information on proper diet and nutrition.

This article addressed three key issues in the relationship between low-income African American mothers and daughters:

• Type of food information transmitted by mothers to daughters
• Mechanism through which food information is transmitted
• Influence of food information on diet and behavior

Methodology

The researchers conducted focus groups with African American women aged 25- 65. Subjects were identified through African Methodist Episcopal churches in low-income South Carolina communities. A total of 21 women were asked questions focused on mother-daughter communication patterns, memories of childhood eating, and mothers as role models. Interviews were audio taped and transcribed for data analysis. Themes, which emerged from the transcripts, were then re-reviewed by the researchers.

Main Ideas

Recollections about childhood eating patterns

Participants reported that their childhood diets were limited, consisting of few food choices, due to large family sizes and parents who earn a low-income. Although limited, these women also reported that their childhood diets were healthy and consisted mainly of vegetables grown in family gardens.

Food advice received from the mother

Most participants remembered receiving verbal messages about food choice. They reported issues that were stressed in African American households:

• Eat your vegetables
• Drink milk
• Breakfast is very important
• You must eat three meals a day
• Always, eat all that is served

Mothers as role models

The women in this article indicated that their mothers were primarily responsible for cooking and often acted as ‘food gatekeepers’ in the household. Mothers determined eating rituals and taught their daughters how to prepare food. Mothers were also role models in teaching their families to be thankful when little food was available.

Mother-Daughter communication about body size

The most interesting finding in this article related to age differences in communication about body size. Older African American women reported that body size and dieting to lose weight were not discussed in their households. Alternatively, younger African American women stated that they remember having mothers who were on diets to lose weight for appearance and health benefits. Interestingly, the mothers of these younger women did not want their daughters to lose weight, and even worried if daughters became too thin. Younger women also reported that they were less likely to continue the eating behaviors they learned during childhood.

Implications for Extension Programs

This study offers great insight for Extension professionals. Educators can use the mother-daughter relationship to educate families about proper diet and nutrition, especially among minorities. With increases in childhood and adult obesity among minority groups, it is imperative that nutrition programs are tailored to fit this audience. Intervention and education programs should be culturally relevant, increasing interest and effectiveness within minority populations. Future extension programs should consider the following:

• Long lasting effects of limited childhood food choices
• Distinguishing between nutritious and non-nutritious foods
• The mothers’ role in food selection and preparation
• African Americans acceptance of a larger body size for women
• Transmission of verbal and non-verbal messages among mothers and daughters

Additional References

Ogden, C. L., Carroll, M. D., Curtin, L. R., McDowell, M. A., Tabak, C. J., & Flegal, K. M. (2006). Prevalence of overweight and obesity in the United States, 1999-2004. Journal of the American Medical Association, 295, 1549-1555.

Submitted by: Linda B. Bobroff, Ph.D., RD, LD/N, Professor and Extension Nutrition Specialist.
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Introduction

The Dietary Guidelines for Americans (Dietary Guidelines) provide research-based dietary advice designed to promote health and reduce risk for the major chronic conditions and diseases that affect people in the U.S., including obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, cancer, and osteoporosis. The Dietary Guidelines are the cornerstone of federal nutrition policy and influence the numerous food and nutrition programs of the federal government. These include the Food Stamp Program, Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast Program. The latest edition of the Dietary Guidelines was introduced in 2005.

Most Americans do not consume diets that are consistent with the recommendations of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans – 2005 (DG-2005). Nutrition education, such as that provided by Extension educators, can help consumers make healthful food choices to meet the DG-2005, within the context of their usual food patterns and cultural preferences. A recent report from USDA’s Economic Research Service (ERS) indicates that changes in food intake patterns to meet these recommendations have implications for American agriculture, which may be of interest to Extension and its partners.

Food Group Recommendations of DG-2005

The DG-2005 (1) encourages Americans to consume more fruits, vegetables (with specific recommendations for the five sub-groups of vegetables), fat-free or low-fat milk or milk products, and whole-grain products, while staying within caloric recommendations. These food group recommendations are outlined in the MyPyramid Food Guidance System, which was introduced in April 2005 (2) and which is available at http://mypyramid.gov. The amounts recommended constitute alterations in consumption of food from these food groups for many Americans, and thus have implications for American agriculture (3). Within USDA’s Food Guidance System, food patterns are based on calorie needs. For a person consuming a 2,000 calorie per day diet, the amounts recommended from these four food groups are as follows:

Fruits: 2 cups

Vegetables: 2 ½ cups

Grains: 6 ounce equivalents (eat at least 3 ounce equivalents of whole grain foods)

Milk: 3 cups (choose fat-free or low-fat)

Note: The fifth food group is Meats and Beans, and at the 2,000 calorie per day level, the recommended intake is 5 ½ ounce equivalents. Most people consume an adequate amount of protein, one of the key nutrients provided by this food group, but eat beans infrequently, and increased intake of beans is recommended (this is included in the recommendation to increase vegetable consumption, since beans are included in both food groups).

The average American diet falls short of the daily recommendations for fruits, vegetables (except for starchy vegetables which are over-consumed), whole grains, and milk and milk products in the DG-2005 and in the supporting MyPyramid Food Guidance System. The ERS report indicates that “if Americans were to bring their diets fully in line with these recommendations, changes in the mix and quantity of foods produced in the United States would undergo some major shifts.”

What Did The Study Find?

The following findings are reprinted from the ERS report (3):

If Americans were to fully meet the Guidelines’ recommendations for fruits, vegetables, total grains, and whole grains, U.S. agriculture would need to harvest 7.4 million additional acres of cropland per year, an increase of 1.7 percent of total U.S. cropland in 2002.

Additionally, U.S. dairy farmers would need to raise annual production of milk and milk products by an estimated 108 million pounds (about a 65 percent increase) for Americans to meet recommendations for dairy consumption. Such an increase in dairy demand would likely require an increase in the number of dairy cows, an increase in the volume of feed grains needed, and, possibly, an increase in the acreage devoted to dairy production.

Fruit. Americans would need to increase daily fruit consumption by 132 percent to meet the new dietary recommendations. The additional demand could require U.S. producers to more than double harvested fruit acreage to 7.6 million acres (from 3.5 million). U.S. fruit production is constrained by land, labor, and climate, making it likely that imports would continue to increase as a share of the total U.S. fruit supply.

Vegetables . To meet the new recommendations for vegetables, Americans’ daily vegetable consumption would need to rise by about 31 percent and the mix of vegetables consumed would need to change. For example, consumption of legumes would have to increase by 431 percent, and consumption of starchy vegetables would have to decline by 35 percent. To meet this increased demand, the area harvested for vegetables in the United States would need to increase by about 135 percent from 6.5 million acres to 15.3 million acres.

Milk and milk products. Americans would need to increase their consumption of dairy products, including fat-free or low-fat milks and equivalent milk products (e.g., nonfat yogurt) by 66 percent (requiring an additional 111 billion pounds of milk per year) to meet the new dietary recommendations. Domestic production could account for 108 billion pounds of that increase, most likely by expanding dairy cow inventories, an action counter to long-term industry trends.

Whole grains. To meet the dietary recommendations, Americans would need to increase their daily consumption of whole grains by an estimated 248 percent and reduce their consumption of total grains by about 27 percent. Because it takes less raw wheat to produce a whole-grain product than a similar refined-grain product and because of the decline in total grain intake, the overall drop in demand could translate to producers harvesting about 5.6 million fewer acres of wheat each year.

As noted above, the DG-2005 do not recommend an increase in meat consumption, and for many people, to meet the recommended intake from the Meat and Beans groups, they likely would need to decrease their meat consumption and increase consumption of legumes and fish. This ERS analysis did not include effects of meat, fats and oils, or caloric sweeteners, although one might expect possible implications for agriculture from these changes as well.

Implications for Extension

Extension has its roots in agriculture and agriculture still is a primary focus of Extension programming. The findings of this ERS report are interesting in that they bridge what may sometimes be considered a gap between Family and Consumer Sciences (FCS) (specifically Nutrition) programs and Agriculture programs in Extension. Although the focus of these programs, their target audiences, and their very nature vary, this report indicates that there is a mutual interest (or concern) that may warrant exploration.

Nutrition education programs and interventions are carried out to help consumers implement dietary guidelines that are jointly developed by the USDA and US Department of Health and Human Services for the purpose of improving the health and well-being of Americans. Programs are based on the most current research in the area of diet and health, and not based on potential impacts on agriculture at the national or even local level. Still, it is helpful for Extension FCS educators, who are primary providers of Extension nutrition education programs, to be familiar with potential implications for agriculture of the recommendations that they make as part of their nutrition programming, particularly when local commodities might be impacted.

Collaborative programming with FCS and Agriculture Extension agents to explore these issues may open the door to enhanced communications between professionals in these two fields.

References

1. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and U.S. Department of Agriculture. Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2005. 6th Edition, Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office, January 2005. Available at: http://www.mypyramid.gov/guidelines/index.html
2. U.S. Department of Agriculture. MyPyramid. 2005. Available at: http://www.pyramid.gov.
3. Buzby JC, Hodan FW and Vocke G. Possible Implications for U.S. Agriculture from Adoption of Select Dietary Guidelines. Economic Research Report No. ERR-31, November 2006. Available at: http://www.ers.usda.gov/Publications/ERR31/.