Abstract
Abstract
Background:
Dietary data from the 2008/9 New Zealand Adult Nutrition survey showed that the mean dietary fibre intake of New Zealanders was below the recommended dietary fibre adequate intake (AI). In particular, female adolescents were shown to be less likely to meet the AI compared with other demographic groups. It is unknown how these intakes have changed over time.
Objectives:
The aim of this study is to assess the dietary fibre intake of New Zealand secondary schoolgirls aged 15-18 yrs and to determine the contributing food sources. The data presented in this thesis represent the first set of data to be collected as part of an ongoing larger project, the Survey of Nutrition Dietary Assessment and Lifestyle (SuNDial), that overall has been designed to be nationally representative.
Method:
Schoolgirls aged 15-18 yrs attending secondary schools and meeting the criteria (English literate; able to complete questionnaires online; and not pregnant) were recruited from eight schools ranging from school decile 3 to 10. Recruitment was via power point presentations and information sheets provided to those schools. Consented participants completed demographic and health questionnaires online. Anthropometric measurements were completed onsite of which the averages were then calculated into BMI and BMI z-scores. Dietary intake information was collected using two 24-hour recalls (the first face-to-face, the second remotely by telephone or by video link) within two weeks. The collected dietary data were entered into a nutrient analysis software program (Foodworks 9, Xyris Software, Australia) to calculate energy and fibre intakes. The dietary fibre and energy intakes were adjusted for usual intakes in Stata 15.1 (StataCorp, College Station, Texas) using the Multiple Source Method to adjust for usual intake. Descriptive statistics were undertaken using Microsoft Office Excel (2016). The mean fibre intake of the group was compared to the Al (22 g/d).
Result:
The sample consisted of 145 schoolgirls self-identifying as New Zealand European or Other (NZEO; 72%), Māori (20%), with 8% from other ethnicities. The mean dietary fibre intake of the schoolgirls was 24 g/d (95% CI: 22.4, 25.9). The top five contributing food sources were fruits; vegetables; breads; grains and pasta; potato, kumara and taro. Dietary fibre intake was positively associated with energy intake although the energy density of foods was higher in foods without fibre compared with fibre-containing foods. The proportion of the schoolgirls classified as overweight was 32%.
Conclusion:
Although the dietary fibre intake of this group of schoolgirls may not be nationally representative at this stage of the project, the data are indicative of low fibre intakes in this demographic. The girls are consuming some fibre-rich foods but in order for fibre intakes to increase, messages to consume more fibre-rich low energy-dense foods such as whole grains, vegetables, fruits, legumes and nuts in line with the Ministry of Health healthy eating guidelines, need to be emphasised.