Summer signals possible breakdown in nutrition, dietary habits among youth

June 6 to 10 was the US Department of Agriculture’s national Summer Food Service Program week. The aim of the comprehensive program was to raise awareness of nutrition issues among school-age children when the structure of the school day is removed.

“During the school year, many children receive free and reduced-price breakfast and lunch through the school breakfast and national school lunch programs,” the researchers wrote. “What happens when school lets out?”

USDA officials said hunger is, among other things, prohibitive to the learning process, and poor nutrition in the summer “may set up a cycle for poor performance once school begins again.”

Youth and adolescent nutrition has also been in the news in other organizations, including the AAP, which recently published guidelines on the consumption of sports and energy drinks in younger individuals. The statement primarily focuses on the importance of differentiating between sports drinks and energy drinks, and it provides breakdowns of both from a nutritional perspective.

Pediatricians are encouraged to help parents “understand that energy drinks pose potential health risks, primarily because of stimulant content; therefore, they are not appropriate for children and adolescents and should never be consumed,” according to the guidelines.

The guidelines also said sports drinks that contain carbohydrates have high caloric content. Frequent intake of these drinks can increase risks for overweight, obesity or dental erosion. If children or adolescents — particularly young athletes — are to consume these drinks during periods of intense physical activity, they should be consumed in moderation to rapidly replace lost carbohydrates or electrolytes, and with water.

Physicians should, above all, “promote water, not sports or energy drinks, as the principal source of hydration for children and adolescents.”

General nutrition information

Statistics on youth nutrition from the CDC are sobering:

• Less than 40% of children and adolescents in the United States meet the US dietary guidelines for saturated fat.
• In 2009, only 22.3% of high school students reported eating fruits and vegetables five or more times daily (when fried potatoes and potato chips are excluded) during the past 7 days.
• 39% of children aged 2 to 17 years meet the USDA’s dietary recommendation for fiber.
• 85% of adolescent females do not consume enough calcium.

The consensus among clinicians, nutritionists and public health officials is that these habits further break down during the summer, when the structure of the school day is removed and parental supervision is not present.

The CDC also said alarming proportions of high school students use unhealthy methods to lose or maintain weight. More than 10% of students reported not eating for 24 hours or more in a recent period, nearly 5% reported vomiting or taking laxatives to lose weight and 5% had taken diet pills, powders or liquids without consulting a physician.

Physical activity

The relationship between nutrition and physical activity levels is not to be underestimated. There are student-athletes who may be inappropriately replenishing lost calories after vigorous activity; however, there are also those who engage in few activities in the absence of mandatory physical education classes or sports team practices.

Moreover, there is the influence of TV. Adachi-Mejia and colleagues said 89.6% of food advertisements were for less-healthful food, and non-overweight adolescents were more likely to be receptive to advertisements for unhealthful food than overweight adolescents.

Fainardi and colleagues conducted a study in a cohort of Italian children and found that children were accustomed to snacking while watching TV, and the snacking habits of children watching TV included more snack foods and fewer fruits than the dietary patterns of the same children while exercising.

With so many factors involved, data on summer nutrition- and physical activity-related topics vary depending on the source and organization conducting the research. For a more comprehensive review of the topic from a physician perspective, please visit the accompanying editorial here.

For more information:

• Adachi-Mejia AM. J Nutr Educ Behav. 2011; [Published online ahead of print June 13, 2011].
• CDC. Nutrition and the health of young people. Available at: www.cdc.gov/HealthyYouth/nutrition/facts.htm. Accessed June 16, 2011.
• Committee on Nutrition and the Council on Sports Medicine and Fitness. Pediatrics. 2011;127:1182-1189.
• Fainardi V. Acta Biomed. 2009;80:107-116.
• USDA. Summer food service program. Available at: www.fns.usda.gov/cnd/summer/. Accessed June 16, 2011.

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