Meeting the Dietary Reference Intakes for Fiber: Sociodemographic Characteristics of Preschoolers With High Fiber Intakes

Abstract

To better understand the public health impact of the National Academy of Sciences’ Dietary Reference Intakes (DRIs) for fiber in preschoolers, I analyzed data from the United States Department of Agriculture Continuing Survey of Food Intake in Individuals for 5437 preschoolers and examined sociodemographic predictors of meeting the DRIs. Overall, only 12% of the children met the DRIs. Older children (age 4 and 5 years) were less likely than younger children, girls were less likely than boys, and children from medium-income families (those earning 186% to 350% of the poverty guidelines, with poverty set at 100%) were least likely to meet the DRIs. Low-income children participating in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children were twice as likely as nonparticipants to meet the DRIs. The public should be educated about the importance of increasing fiber density in the diet.