Ready-to-eat cereal consumption: Its relationship with BMI and nutrient intake of children aged 4 to 12 years

Objective To examine the relationship between ready-to-eat cereal consumption habits and body mass index of a sample of children aged 4 to 12 years. Design Fourteen-day self-reported food diary records were obtained from a sample of 2,000 American households from February 1998 through February 1999. Height and weight of the family members were also self-reported. Subjects/setting The sample population of 603 children, aged 4 to 12 years, was broken into tertiles based on cereal consumption over the 14 days: (three or fewer, four to seven, or eight or more servings). Statistical analysis Logistic regression and analysis of variance were used to determine associations between frequency of ready-to-eat cereal consumption and body mass index or nutrient intakes. Results More than 90% of children aged 4 to 12 years consumed ready-to-eat cereal at least once in the two-week collection period. Within tertiles of consumption, children in the upper tertile had lower mean body mass indexes than those in the lowest tertile consistently across all age groups (P<.01). Additionally, the proportion of children aged 4 to 12 years who were at risk for overweight/overweight was significantly lower in the upper tertile of cereal consumption (P<.05). Children in the upper tertile also had lower fat intakes and higher intakes of many micronutrients. Applications The consumption of ready-to-eat cereals at breakfast should be encouraged as a component of an eating pattern that promotes the maintenance of healthful body weights and nutrient intakes in children.