Sources of Error and Nutritional Adequacy of the Food Guide Pyramid

The authors assessed the accuracy of college students' use of the Food Guide Pyramid (FGP) in their diets and evaluated sources of error and nutritional adequacy of the pyramid. Students enrolled in an undergraduate nutrition class (N = 346) completed 3-day dietary records that were analyzed, u...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of American college health 1998-09, Vol.47 (2), p.77-82
Main Authors: Tavelli, Suzanne, Beerman, Kathy, Shultz, Jill E., Heiss, Cindy
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Adult
College students
Colleges & universities
Computer Software
Diet
Diet - standards
Dietary fiber
Dietetics
Female
fiber
Food
Food Guide Pyramid
Food Preferences
Gender differences
Guidelines
Healthy food
Humans
Male
nutrition
Nutrition Policy
Nutrition research
recommended dietary allowance
Reproducibility of Results
Rice
Software
Students
Universities
USA
Use
Washington
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Summary:The authors assessed the accuracy of college students' use of the Food Guide Pyramid (FGP) in their diets and evaluated sources of error and nutritional adequacy of the pyramid. Students enrolled in an undergraduate nutrition class (N = 346) completed 3-day dietary records that were analyzed, using computer software, to determine individual recommended dietary allowance (RDA) values and the extent to which the students' diets met those values. The students' most common error in using the FGP was underestimating serving sizes. Only 8% of the students consumed the minimum recommended number of servings for all food groups, but diets that satisfied FGP recommendations also tended to satisfy RDA requirements. Less than 2% of the students who met the minimal number of FGP servings did not satisfy their RDA values, but less than 45% of the survey participants, regardless of gender or residence, met the recommended intake for dietary fiber. The FGP was judged to be a good indicator of dietary adequacy.
ISSN:0744-8481
1940-3208
DOI:10.1080/07448489809595623