National Nutrition Month

March 6, 2015

March is National Nutrition Month.  While you may know it is important to eat a healthy diet, it isn’t always easy to sort through all of the information available about nutrition and food choices.

Through the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), NCHS has a program of studies designed to assess the health and nutritional status of adults and children in the United States. The survey is unique in that it combines interviews and physical examinations.

Findings from this survey will be used to determine the prevalence of major diseases and risk factors for diseases. Information will be used to assess nutritional status and its association with health promotion and disease prevention. NHANES findings are also the basis for national standards for such measurements as height, weight, and blood pressure. Data from this survey will be used in epidemiological studies and health sciences research, which help develop sound public health policy, direct and design health programs and services, and expand the health knowledge for the Nation.

Here some recent findings from NHANES on nutrition:

  • Almost 40% of adults consumed nuts on a given day.
  • More than three-quarters of youth aged 2–19 years (77.1%) consumed fruit on a given day.
  • Almost 92% of youth aged 2–19 years consumed vegetables on a given day.
  • Nine out of 10 children aged 2–5 years consumed fruit, while only 6 out of 10 adolescents consumed fruit on a given day.

Here are some more links on nutrition:

http://www.cdc.gov/nutrition/

http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nhanes.htm

 

 

Leave a Comment » | NHANES | Tagged: , | Permalink
Posted by briantsai

Adults’ daily protein intake much more than recommended

March 3, 2010

March is National Nutrition month, making it a great time to look at where America stands in its nutrition and diet.  One important nutrient is protein, which is essential to the human body because it is part of every cell, issue, and organ, allowing them to grow and repair. Proteins can be found in a variety of foods that we eat on a regular basis and the table below displays the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s recommended daily protein intake.

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; “Nutrition for Everyone”-Protein

However, according to the 2005-2006 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), both men and women ages 20 and over were taking in much more than the recommended amount of protein. The recommended daily amount of protein is 46 grams for women and 56 grams for men. The NHANES results showed that men were taking in 101.9 grams and women were taking in 70.1 grams. Protein intake contributes to calorie intake: therefore, if you eat more protein than is needed, your overall calorie intake could be greater and potentially lead to weight gain.

For more, visit USDA’s “What We Eat in America.”

3 Comments | NHANES, nutrition, protein | Tagged: , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Setareh Kamali

High cholesterol? It could be happening to you…

January 27, 2010

In 2005–2006, 16% of adults had serum total cholesterol levels of 240 mg/dL or greater (high cholesterol). The good news is that generally, for Americans 20 years of age and over, cholesterol levels are declining. However, this decline was seen for men 40 years and over and for women 60 years and over, with little change between 1999 and 2006 for all other age-sex groups.

What may be most disconcerting is the fact that many U.S. adults may not even know they have high cholesterol, with data from the 2005-2006 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey finding that 8% of U.S. adults had high cholesterol but had never been told by a health care provider that their cholesterol levels were high. For more data concerning high cholesterol, see the NCHS Data Brief on High Cholesterol. For more information on combating high cholesterol, visit the CDC Webpage on Cholesterol.

Leave a Comment » | cholesterol, NHANES | Tagged: , | Permalink
Posted by Megan Cox

Obesity information-it starts with the letters NHANES

August 5, 2009

Recently, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has released information concerning the prevalence and costs of the growing epidemic of obesity in the United States. Some of the most critical information concerning the weight of the nation is collected in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), which takes actual measurements of a nationally representative sample of the U.S. population.

For the most recent information on obesity and overweight, please visit the Health E-Stat report at http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/pubs/pubd/hestats/overweight/overweight_adult.htm.

For a more general overview, visit http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/overwt.htm.

As always, the NCHS press office can be reached at 301-458-4800.

Leave a Comment » | body mass index, Diet & Nutrition, Health E-Stats, morbid obesity, National Center for Health Statistics, NHANES, Obesity, Overweight | Tagged: , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Megan Cox

Underweight older adults, children decrease in U.S.

July 15, 2009

Poor nutrition or underlying health conditions can sometimes cause a person to be underweight. Data from the 2003-2006 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) showed that an estimated 1.8% of U.S. adults are underweight. Between 1988-1994 and 2003-2006, a statistically significant decrease in the percentage of those underweight was found only among those aged 60 and over. In this age group, the percentage underweight was 2.3% in 1988-1994 and 1.2% in 2003-2006.

For more, visit http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/hestat/underweight_adults.htm.

Results from the 2003-2006 NHANES showed that about 3.3% of children and adolescents aged 2-19 years are underweight. Trends from 1971-1974 to 2003-2006 show that there has been an overall significant decrease in underweight children and adolescents, from 5.1% to 3.3%. Underweight significantly decreased from 5.8% to 2.8% among 2-5 year olds and from 5.3% to 2.7% among 6-11 year olds. Among adolescents aged 12-19, underweight decreased, although not significantly, from 4.7% to 3.8% during the same time period.

For more, visit http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/hestat/underweight_children.htm.

Leave a Comment » | body mass index, children, height and weight tables, juvenile, National Center for Health Statistics, NHANES, Overweight | Tagged: , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Megan Cox