Introduction
Since 2005, the federal government's Dietary Guidelines for Americans have recommended
at least half of total grain intake be whole grains. Beginning with the 2012–2013
school year, the U.S. Department of Agriculture updated school meal regulations to
align with this recommendation.
Methods
Nationally representative food consumption survey data spanning 1994–2014 were analyzed
in 2018 to construct a sample of 17,016 schoolchildren aged 5–19 years. Regression
models were used to examine changes in whole grain/total grain intake by food source.
For school-obtained foods, changes in whole grain intake are decomposed into changes
in propensity (proportion of students consuming whole grains) and intensity (amount
consumed by whole grain consumers).
Results
The whole grain/total grain ratio from all sources fell from 9.67% (1994–1998) to
7.6% (2005–2006) before climbing to 13.48% (2013–2014). Home-prepared foods topped
the whole grain/total grain ratio among all sources until surpassed by school foods
in 2013–2014 (17.16% vs 21.48%). The whole grain/total grain ratio from school rose
from 4.02% to 21.48% during 1994–2014. Among those consuming school foods, increased
intensity contributed more than propensity to increases in whole grain intake from
school between 2005–2010 and 2011–2012; the opposite occurred between 2011–2012 and
2013–2014 because of increasing propensity, from one in four to one in two students
consuming whole grains.
Conclusions
During 1994–2006, the whole grain/total grain ratio of schoolchildren's diets declined,
contrary to expert advice. Following the 2012 U.S. Department of Agriculture school
meal regulations, both the propensity and the intensity of whole grain consumption
from school rose considerably, demonstrating the important role school meals may play
in improving children's diets.
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: May 21, 2019
Identification
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Published by Elsevier Inc. on behalf of American Journal of Preventive Medicine.
