Abstract
Preferences for fruit and vegetables are established in childhood and persist into adulthood, demonstrating a need for further investigation of young children's fruit and vegetable consumption. The objectives of this study were to 1) describe the amount, frequency, and average nutrient intake from young children's fruit consumption and vegetable consumption; and 2) determine whether there are significant differences in children's fruit consumption and vegetable consumption by age, gender, body-mass index (BMI), ethnicity, and socioeconomic status (SES). Fruit consumption and vegetable consumption of young children, two to five years of age (n=821), was identified using the 2009-2010 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey dietary data from a 24 hour recall. Mean, standard error, and multiple comparisons using p-values from a Tukey's HSD post-hoc test were completed using "R" software. Children consumed approximately three times as many fruit servings as vegetable servings regardless of age, gender, BMI, ethnicity, and SES. Potato products and fruit juice were consumed most frequently and in the greatest amounts. Children obtained more fiber, vitamin C, folate, magnesium, and potassium from fruit than from vegetables; and more vitamin A and E from vegetables than from fruit. Children's nutrient intake from fruit indicates that while caregivers should continue to offer and encourage vegetables, they can be informed that children's fruit consumption may provide similar nutrients as vegetables to meet the recommended dietary allowance.