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Expert groups recommend that children and adolescents consume <=30% of energy (and no less than 20%) from fat and <10% of energy from saturated fat (1-3). Nonetheless, recent surveys indicate that most children and adolescents exceed these recommendations (4,5). Data from the US Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Continuing Survey of Food Intakes by Individuals (CSFII) (6) suggest that approximately 70% of US children exceed current dietary recommendations for total and saturated fat.
Dietary intakes of fat and saturated fat have been clearly linked to risk for cardiovascular and other chronic diseases in adults (7,8). Dietary habits developed when young can persist over time (9,10). Therefore, establishing healthful dietary habits during childhood and adolescence may help reduce future chronic disease risk.
Food choice and nutrient intake can be affected by context. Data from the 1995 CSFII suggest that food obtained away from the home is generally higher in fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol (11). A recent report examining food purchase and preparation trends between 1970 and 1998 suggests that Americans are eating more meals outside the home (12). In fact, away-from-home meals and snacks increased by more than two-thirds over the past 2 decades, from 16% in 1977 and 1978 to 27% in 1995 (13). The restaurant industry is expanding to meet this new demand; fast-food restaurants have a 7% annual growth rate (13). In consideration of these shifts in diet and lifestyle, dietary prevention and education messages must consider a greater variety of eating environments.
The objectives of this study were to characterize children's consumption of energy, absolute measures of macronutrients, and percent energy from macronutrients by consumption location. We hypothesized that the macronutrient composition of meals would vary based on the consumption location. Furthermore, determining where and what children eat may provide data that assist in creating appropriate nutrition education messages that focus on prevention of diet-related chronic diseases.
SUBJECTS AND METHODS
Participants
This study was part of a larger project, the Olestra Post-Marketing Surveillance Study (OPMSS). The OPMSS is a multisite study monitoring adoption and patterns of use of olestra-containing foods in representative samples of the US population in Baltimore, Md; Indianapolis,Ind; Minneapolis, Minn; and San Diego, Calif. English-speaking households were recruited through randomdigit dialing; 1 adult and up to 2 minors per...