Dietary behaviors of South Carolina adolescents.

Data from studies conducted on South Carolina adolescents indicate caloric intake to be less than recommended, intakes of calcium, iron and fiber are also less than recommended. Protein intake and cholesterol intake appears to higher than recommended. When distribution of energy intake is assessed excessive amounts of fat are consumed while reduced intakes of carbohydrates are observed. General dietary practices indicate inadequate intakes of fruits, cooked vegetables, and salads, while excessive intakes of hamburgers, fried foods, and pastries are observed. These findings indicate S. C. adolescents are consuming a diet that increases risk for diet related diseases that may occur in adulthood.

Black and white females' perceptions of ideal body size and social norms.

Different cultural norms and standards for appropriate female body size might contribute to the disparity in obesity rates between black and white adult females (46.0% and 24.6% respectively). The purpose of this study was to measure adolescents' perceptions of ideal size and social norms regarding female body size as well as adolescents' perceptions of significant others' evaluation and expectations of the adolescents' body size. Subjects included 437 adolescent girls (247 white and 190 black) aged 13 to 19 (x = 14.9, SD = .979) from six randomly selected public schools. The subjects, heights and weights were measured. Responses to a body image questionnaire and a series of nine female body drawings (arranged ordinally, 1 to 9, from thinnest to heaviest) were analyzed using the General Linear Model and Logistic Regression. The female body size considered ideal by black females was significantly larger than the size selected as ideal by white females (x = 3.47 and x = 3.13 respectively, p < 0.001). Black females were two times more likely than white females to describe themselves as thinner than other girls their age (O.R. = 2.01, 95% C.I. 1.34, 3.01) and seven times as likely to say that they were not overweight (O.R. = 7.08, 95% C.I. 3.72, 13.45). White females wanted to be a smaller size than they currently were and felt encouraged by significant others to lose weight or reduce their size. Black females did not indicate as great a desire as whites to be smaller and they tended to feel that their size was considered satisfactory by significant others. Only subjects from the low SES group perceived that significant others wanted them to gain weight. The differences between black and white subjects' beliefs and perceptions about body size norms may explain, in part, why heavier body weights persist in some cultural groups.

Black and white adolescent females' pre-pregnancy nutrition status.

The dietary intakes of energy, protein, calcium, and iron of 408 randomly selected nonpregnant, black and white female adolescents were analyzed to determine their pre-pregnancy nutritional status. Pre-pregnancy weight for height was calculated and used as an indicator of nutritional status. After controlling for race, socioeconomic status, and age, results indicated that black females had significantly higher mean intakes of energy (p = .0001), protein (p < .0001), calcium (p = .0205), and iron (p = .0001) than did white females. Distribution of white and black females in the percentages of RDA categories differed significantly for energy (p < .0001), protein (p < .0001), and iron (p < .0001). A higher percentage of white females were found in the three lower categories (< 100% of RDA) than of black females. No significant differences were found in the distribution of black and white females in the three Body Mass Index categories. A large proportion of both black and white females' intakes of energy, calcium, and iron were below the recommended allowances when categorized according to the percentages of recommended intakes. Thirty-seven percent of the black females and 42.6% of the white females were classified by their BMIs as being underweight. These findings suggest that the majority of black and white females surveyed had poor pre-pregnancy nutritional status.