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Graduate Program in Nutrition and Department of Human Development and Family Studies, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA
2To whom correspondence should be addressed at Department of Pediatrics, U.S. Department of Agriculture/ARS Childrens Nutrition Research Center, Baylor College of Medicine, 1100 Bates Street, Houston, TX 77030-2600. E-mail: jfisher{at}bcm.tmc.edu
| ABSTRACT |
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KEY WORDS: soft drink intake milk intake calcium maternal beverage choices
| INTRODUCTION |
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Milk intake plays an important role in achieving adequate calcium
intake, contributing approximately two thirds or more of total calcium
intake for infants and toddlers and more than half of total calcium
intake for adolescent girls (Albertson et al. 1997
,
Fleming and Heimbach 1994
). Recent work indicates that
the contribution of milk intake to calcium adequacy may be compromised
by childrens intake of soft drinks. "Soft drinks" refers to a
broad category of beverages that includes carbonated beverages and all
noncarbonated beverages such as fruit punch or fruit-aids (not
100% juice). Harnack et al. (1999
) found that
carbonated soft drinks intake may displace milk in the diet; preschool,
school-age and adolescent children with carbonated soft drink
intakes of >266 mL/d (9 fl oz/d) were 2.93.9 times more likely to
consume <237 mL (8 fl oz) of milk/d. These findings are of particular
relevance because soft drink intake has increased dramatically among
children during the past two decades (Borrud et al. 1997
) and milk intake in the United States has declined
(Putman and Gerrior 1997
). Furthermore, several reports
indicate that excessive carbonated soft drink intake increases the risk
of bone fractures in young girls (Wyshak and Frisch 1994, Wyshak 2000
). A recent evaluation of
National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey III (19881994) data
indicates that regular carbonated soft drink consumption constitutes
2.4% of energy intakes and noncarbonated beverages containing
little juice constitutes an additional 3.6% of energy intakes for 2-
to 5-y-old children (Troiano et al. 2000
).
One recent report noted mother-daughter similarities in milk and
dairy product intakes (Grove et al. 1999
). No studies to date,
however, have investigated the extent to which family factors may
influence the apparent tradeoff between young girls milk and soft
drink intake. Mothers may have an influential role in their daughters
patterns of milk and soft drink intake by deciding what type of
beverages are available at meals and snacks where mother and daughter
are present. Mothers may also shape their daughters choices by
serving as a role model for when milk is typically consumed.
The main objective of this research was to determine whether a tradeoff
between milk and soft drink intake could be described among young girls
as a function of their mothers beverage choices. Soft drink
consumption was evaluated because for young children, both
noncarbonated drinks, such as fruit punches and fruit-aids, and
regular carbonated beverages are frequently consumed (Troiano et al. 2000
, U.S. Department of Agriculture 1999
)
and may represent common alternatives to milk intake. Structural
equation modeling was used to test a model describing relationships
between mothers and daughters milk, soft drink and calcium intakes.
This model controlled for the influence of mothers and daughters
energy intakes on their calcium, milk and soft drink consumption, as
well as for mother-daughter similarities in energy intakes.
| SUBJECTS AND METHODS |
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Participants were 197 girls (5-y-olds; mean age 5.4 ± 0.0 y; age range 4.66.4 y) and their mothers. Eligibility criteria for girls participation included living with both biological parents, the absence of severe food allergies or chronic medical problems affecting food intake and the absence of dietary restrictions involving animal products. Families were recruited for participation in the study using flyers and newspaper advertisements. Age-eligible female children throughout several counties in central Pennsylvania received mailings and follow-up telephone calls. On average, mothers were in their mid-30s (mothers mean age 35.4 ± 0.3 y). Almost two thirds of mothers (63%) were currently employed, reporting an average of 20 h of work/wk. Twenty-nine percent of reported family incomes were below $35,000, 35% were between $35,000 and $50,000 and 36% were above $50,000. Mothers were well educated, with roughly one third reporting high school diplomas as the highest degree completed, 48% reporting an associates, technical or bachelors degree as the highest degree obtained and 15% reported a postgraduate degree as the highest degree obtained. Mothers were slightly overweight, with mean body mass index scores (weight/height) of 25.8 ± 0.4 kg/m2. Girls average weight-for-height percentile scores (mean 62 ± 26%, range 699%) indicated that the sample was slightly above the median relative to age- and gender-specific reference data (Hamill et al. 1979).
Measures
Maternal dietary intake.
Mothers typical energy, calcium, milk and sweetened beverage intakes
were measured using a quantitative food frequency questionnaire (FFQ)
(Kristal et al. 1999
, Patterson et al. 1999
). Each mother completed a FFQ regarding her dietary intake
during the past 3-mo period. Energy and calcium intakes were calculated
using information from categorical responses regarding food type and
food preparation, frequency of intake and portion size. This FFQ has
been shown to estimate energy intake within 10% of dietary recall and
record methods (Patterson et al. 1999
). The frequency of
mothers soft drink intake was measured using a category described as
"regular soft drinks, soda pop (not diet), and Kool-Aid." Milk and
regular soft drink intakes were expressed in terms of the frequency of
medium servings per week, where medium servings of milk and soft drink
were 237 mL (8 fl oz) and 355 mL (12 fl oz), respectively. Mothers
frequency of diet soft drink intake was measured using a 9-point scale,
where 1 was never or less than once a month and 9 was >2 times/d.
Daughter dietary intake.
Childrens energy, calcium, milk and soft drink intakes were measured
using three 24-h recalls. Recalls were collected from 196 girls, with
mothers acting as the primary source of information in the presence of
their daughters. Interviews were conducted by trained staff at The
Pennsylvania State Diet Assessment Center using the
computer-assisted Nutrition Data System (NDS) (Version 2.6, Nutrient Database Version 12, Food Database 27; Nutrition Coordinating Center, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, release date 1996).
Two weekdays and 1 weekend d during the summer were randomly selected
over a 2-wk period that was chosen by the parent. Food portion posters
(2D Food Portion Visual; Nutrition Consulting Enterprises, Framingham,
MA) were used as a visual aid for estimating amounts of foods eaten.
Nutrient data were averaged across 3 d to obtain an estimate of
average energy and calcium intakes. Food group analysis was conducted
on NDS summary file data to determine the average daily frequency of
milk and soft drink consumption. Soft drinks included both caloric
carbonated and noncarbonated beverages containing little if any fruit
juice; caloric carbonated beverages constituted
48% of all soft
drinks. Diet carbonated soft drinks was not included in this analysis
due to the low frequency with which it was consumed by girls (27 of 196
girls).
Statistical analysis
Complete data on all variables were obtained from 184
mother-daughter pairs. Four cases were removed for having extreme
values (>4 SD) on mothers calcium, milk and soft drink
variables. Thus, 180 cases were retained for statistical analyses.
Descriptive statistics were generated for all variables included in the
structural model. Structural equation modeling with LISREL (Version
8.20) was used to test the model shown in Figure 1
, describing relationships between mother and daughter calcium, milk and
soft drink intakes. This statistical technique provides a comprehensive
test of fit for a series of relationships among variables. Each
construct in the model was measured using a single variable so the
measurement error for each was constrained to zero. Variances were
estimated for each construct shown in Figure 1
as well as
that for daughters energy intake; variances for mothers energy
intake and income were not estimated, because both were considered
exogenous variables. Indicators of a good model fit were 1)
a nonsignificant
2 value, indicating that the
model was not different than the structure of the observed data and
2) a value of >0.90 for the Non-Normed Fit Index (NNFI)
and the Comparative Fit Index (CFI), as well as 3) a value
of <0.05 for the root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA)
(Byrne 1999
).
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| RESULTS |
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19% and
16%
below age- and gender-appropriate recommended dietary allowances,
respectively (Food and Nutrition Board 1999
8% higher than those reported for
similarly aged women in NHANES III (Alaimo et al. 1994
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94% of that amount reported for 3- to
5-y-old children in the Continuing Survey of Food Intake by
Individuals, 19941996 (U.S. Department of Agriculture 1999
Structural equation modeling was used to test a model detailing
relationships among mothers and daughters milk and soft drink
intakes. This model controlled for mother-daughter similarities in
energy intake as well as for any influences of energy intake on
mothers and daughters calcium, milk and soft drink intakes. The
initial model fit the data structure well (Table 2
). A nonsignificant
2 value indicated that the
initial specified model structure was not different from the
underlying data structure. Furthermore, the NNFI, RMSEA and CFI fit
indices provided further evidence that the initial model had an
excellent fit to the data, using generally accepted cutoffs (NNFI and
CFI >0.90, RMSEA <0.05) (Byrne 1999
). Modification
indices from the initial model indicated that the fit of the model
would be improved by including the relationship between mothers milk
intake and daughters soft drink intake in the model. As a result, an
adjusted model that included this relationship was tested and compared
with the initial model. Comparison of the fit statistics showed a
significant improvement in the fit of the model (change in
2 = 7.22, df = 1,
P < 0.01).
|
1.98 critical value)
unless otherwise indicated. Mothers and daughters calcium intakes
were positively associated with their frequency of milk intake and
negatively associated with their frequency of soft drink consumption.
In other words, mothers and daughters who drank more milk and fewer
soft drinks tended to have higher calcium intakes. In addition, girls
consumption of soft drink beverages was negatively associated with
their milk intakes. In descriptive terms, daughters who drank >1
serving of soft drink beverages each day consumed 106 g less milk
(234 versus 330 g, P < 0.01) and
150 mg less
calcium (744 versus 890 mg, P < 0.01) per day than did
the girls who drank
1 serving of soft-drink beverages each day.
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| DISCUSSION |
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Mothers own milk intake may serve as a protective factor for adequate calcium intake in their daughters by increasing opportunities to consume milk and decreasing opportunities to consume soft drinks. In this case, mothers relative preferences for milk and soft drinks may dictate her beverage choices as well as the types of beverages that she makes available to her daughter at various eating occasions. For instance, mothers who prefer milk may be less likely to buy soft drinks and less likely to offer soft drinks as options for their daughters snacks or meals. In addition, young girls may learn to imitate their mothers beverage intake patterns through the repeated experience of watching their mothers select and consume those beverages.
These findings have relevance for osteoporosis prevention because
mothers own dietary behaviors may have direct bearing on their
daughters consumption of calcium-rich beverages during periods of
development before the attainment of peak bone mass. Retrospective
reports show similarities in mother-daughter bone mineral density
and lifetime milk intakes (Halioua and Anderson 1989
,
Ulrich 1996
). In addition, calcium intake shows some
tracking across childhood (Singer et al. 1995
,
Stein et al. 1991
) and young adulthood (Teegarden et al. 1999
, Welten et al. 1997
), implying young
girls beverage consumption in childhood may serve as a basis for
dietary behaviors that persist into young adulthood. This research
indicates that maternal influences on their daughters patterns of
beverage intake may begin in early childhood.
Several limitations may qualify the interpretation of these results,
including the use of two different dietary assessment measures to
quantify mothers and daughters beverage intakes. It is likely that
differences between the FFQ and dietary recall methods introduced
measurement error in comparing mother and child intakes, potentially
underestimating the size of those relationships. Mothers and
daughters average energy and calcium intakes were roughly similar to
nationwide data (Alaimo et al. 1994
, McDowell et al. 1994
, U.S. Department of Agriculture 1998
and 1999
), however, suggesting that these measures provided
reasonable estimates of group intake. Collecting dietary data solely
during the summer months constitutes another potential source of bias,
providing a lower estimate of milk intake and upper estimate of soft
drink intake (Guenther 1986
). Finally, girls beverage
intake may represent a marker of more broad dietary behaviors that
influence girls calcium and micronutrient intakes (Harnack et al. 1999
, Johnson et al. 1998
).
In conclusion, these findings indicate that mothers beverage choices may exert a formative environmental influence on young girls calcium adequacy from an early age. This study provides the first evidence that mothers own beverage consumption patterns may determine the extent to which young girls intake of milk and calcium is displaced by soft drinks. This research suggests that interventions aimed at increasing young girls calcium intake should target mothers as well as daughters beverage consumption. Longitudinal data are needed to evaluate the extent to which mother-daughter similarities in milk and soft drink intake contribute to calcium tracking and bone mineral density during childhood.
| FOOTNOTES |
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Manuscript received May 30, 2000. Initial review completed September 12, 2000. Revision accepted November 2, 2000.
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