The State of Nutrition of Urban Black Children in the U. S. A.: The Role of Day Care Services in the Prevention of Nutritional Anemia

Abstract

A study of dietary intakes of calories, protein, fat, carbohydrate and iron, along with determinations of hemogram, serum iron, iron binding capacity, transferrin, transferrin saturation and plasma proteins, was done on 26 Day Care children and 15 non-Day Care controls, aged 7 to 32 months, all registered in a Children and Youth health care program. Significant differences favoring the Day Care children were limited to HGB and HCT in the older children, and HGB, HCT, MCV, MCH, transferrin, and iron binding capacity in the younger children. Daily intakes calculated from nutritional history obtained from the parent or observed in the Day Care unit showed average iron intake low in all children. As a result of these findings, it is suggested that children under two years of age be afforded preference over older children when spaces are available in Day Care Centers, and that the dietary intakes of these children be examined carefully to ensure that they are receiving optimal nutrients.

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Ten-State Nutrition Survey 1968–1970 Vols. I–V. U. S. Dept. of HEW, HSMHA, Center for Disease Control, Atlanta, Georgia, DHEW Publication Nos (HSM) 72-8130-34, 1972.

Owen

G. M.

, Lubin

A. H.

and Garry

P. J.

: Pre-school children in the US: who has iron deficiency? J. Ped. 79: 563, 1971.

Owen

G. M.

, Nelson

C. E.

and Garry

P. J.

: Nutritional status of preschool children: hemoglobin, hematocrit and plasma iron values. J. Ped. 76: 761, 1970.

Katzman

, Novack

and Pearson

: Nutritional anemia in an inner-city community: relationship to age and ethnic group. JAMA 222: 670, 1972.

Pearson

H. A.

, McLean

F. W.

and Brigety

R. E.

: Anemia related to age in an American Community. JAMA 215: 982, 1971.

Pearson

H. A.

, Abrams

and Fernbach

D. J.

: Anemia in preschool children in the U.S.A. Ped. Res. 1: 169, 1967.

Guest

G. M.

and Brown

E. W.

: Erythrocytes and hemoglobin of the blood in infancy and childhood; III: factors in variability, statistical studies. J. Dis. Child. 93: 486, 1957.

Munday

, Shepherd

M. L.

, Emerson

, Harmil

B. M.

, Poole

M. W.

, Macy

I. G.

and Raiford

T. E.

: Hemoglobin differences in healthy white and Negro infants. Am. J. Dis. Child. 55: 776, 1938.

Hellman

R. W.

and Smith

H. S.

: Hemoglobin patterns in low income families. Pub. Health Rep. 83: 61, 1968.

10.

Hutcheson

R. H.

Jr. : Iron deficiency anemia in Tennessee among rural poor children. Pub. Health Rep. 83: 939, 1968.

11.

Scrimshaw

N. S.

, Guzman

M. A.

, Flores

and Gordon

J. E.

: Nutrition and infection field study in Guatemalan villages, 1959–64, V. Arch. Environ. Health 16: 223, 1968.

12.

Ascoli

, Guzman

M. A.

, Scrimshaw

N. S.

and Gordon

J. E.

: Nutrition and infection field study in Guatemalan villages, 1959–1964, IV. Arch. Environ. Health 15: 439, 1967.

13.

MacKay

H. H. M.

: Anemia in infancy, its prevalence and prevention. Arch. Dis. Child 3: 117, 1928.

14.

Lanzkowski

: Hematologic values in healthy infants and children in three racial groups in Cape Town. J. Ped. 61: 620, 1962.

15.

Fullerton

H. W.

, Mair

M. I.

and Unsworth

: Survey of hemoglobin levels of poor classes in Aberdeen. B. Med. J. 2: 373, 1944.

16.

Schulman

: Iron requirements of infancy. JAMA 175: 118, 1961.

17.

Moe

P. J.

: Iron requirements in infancy. Acta Paed. Scand. Suppl. 150, pp. 1–67, 1963.

18.

Screening Children for Nutritional Status: Suggestions for Child Health Programs. U. S. Dept. of HEW, Public Health Service, HSMHA, MCHS, Rockville, Maryland, 1971.

19.

Watt

B. K.

and Merrill

A. L.

: Composition of Foods, Agriculture Handbook No. 8. Consumer and Food Economics Research Division, Agricultural Research Serivce, U. S. Department of Agriculture, Washington, D. C., 1963.

20.

Nutritive Value of Foods, Home and Garden Bulletin No. 72. Consumer and Food Economics Research Division, Agricultural Research Service, U. S. Department of Agriculture, Washington, D. C., 1971.

21.

Nutrient Values of Gerber Baby Foods. Professional Communications Department, Gerber Products Company, Fremont, Michigan 49412, 1972.

22.

Giovanniello

: Automation in Analytical Chemistry. 6: 185, 1967.

23.

Young

D. S.

and Hicks

J. M.

: Method for the automatic determination of serum iron. J. Clin. Pathol. 18: 98, 1965.

24.

Wolfson

W. Q.

and Cohn

: Rapid chemical micromethods for the analytical fractionation of serum proteins. J. Lab. Clin. Med. 33: 367, 1948.

25.

Ness

A. T.

, Dickerson

H. C.

and Pastewka

J. V.

: The determination of human serum by its specific binding of the amonic dye, 2 (4¹ hydroxybenzeneazo)- benzoic acid. Clin. Chem. Acta 12: 532, 1965.

26.

Committee on Nutrition: Iron balance and re-quirements in infancy. Pediatrics 43: 134, 1969.

27.

Recommended Dietary Allowances, 7th ed. Washington, D. C., National Academy of Sciences–National Research Council Publication, 1694, 1968.

28.

Straub

C. P.

, Sister Jeannette Marie and Sister Mirian Teresa: Nutritional intake of infants. I: calories, carbohydrate, fat and protein. J. Am. Dietetic Assoc. 54: 53, 1969.