The effects of an educational intervention on calcium intake and bone mineral content in young women with low calcium intake.

PURPOSE: This study evaluated whether a combined behavioral and dietary intervention would affect young women's calcium intake and bone mineral content (BMC). DESIGN: The design was a two by three mixed design with one between-subjects factor (treatment vs. control) and one within-subjects factor (time--baseline, 3-month, and 6-month). SETTING: The study was conducted in a university setting in Memphis, Tennessee. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 80 premenopausal women (ages 18 to 30) with low baseline calcium intake (< 700 mg/d) were included in the analyses. There were 40 women in the treatment group and 40 women in the control group. MEASURES: Hertzler and Frary's rapid assessment questionnaire was employed to evaluate calcium intake, and dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) was employed to assess BMC. RESULTS: Repeated measures analysis of variance (RM ANOVA) was employed to analyze results. Results indicated that women in the treatment group made greater increases in total calcium intake and supplemental calcium than women in the control group and that all women made significant increases in dietary calcium intake. Additionally, analyses of BMC revealed that women in the treatment group did not experience significant changes in total BMC, and women in the control group experienced significant losses in total BMC. CONCLUSIONS: In the current study, women were losing BMC, and the women who made the largest increases in calcium intake were able to retard this bone loss. There is increasing evidence that dietary calcium intake in young people is extremely low, and the results of the current study highlight the need for much more intensive evaluations investigating the factors that are positively associated with premenopausal bone mineral change.

Predictors of milk consumption in a population of 17- to 35-year-old military personnel.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this investigation was to survey an entire population of Air Force recruits (N = 32,144) regarding milk consumption and demographic and health-related factors that may predict milk consumption. DESIGN: All subjects were required to fill out a 53-item health survey at the start of basic military training. SUBJECTS/SETTING: All recruits who entered the US Air Force from August 1995 to August 1996 participated in this study (N = 32,144). STATISTICAL ANALYSES PERFORMED: Potential correlates of milk intake were analyzed using Spearman rank order correlations and multiple linear regression. Variables were removed if they did not make a meaningful contribution to variance in milk intake. Because of skewed distributions, several variables were dichotomized (e.g., age: 17 to 24 vs 25 to 35 years). RESULTS: In terms of milk consumption, 51.7% of the respondents reported intake of fewer than 1 serving per day; only 17.9% reported intake of 3 servings or more per day. Milk intake was positively associated with body weight and fruit/vegetable intake and negatively associated with age, education level, reported milk-related gastric distress, physical activity level, dieting frequency, and concern about weight. Gender (women reported lower intake) and ethnicity (minorities reported lower intake) were independently related to milk consumption. Of all respondents, 16.1% reported themselves to have milk-related gastric distress, but rates varied depending on age, gender, and ethnicity (ranging from 10.2% for younger non-Hispanic white men to 60.4% for older Asian men). APPLICATIONS/CONCLUSIONS: Despite the efforts of large, costly campaigns designed to increase milk consumption, self-reported milk consumption in young adults is extremely low. Given the importance of dairy products as a major source of calcium in the American diet, dietetics practitioners should assess milk consumption among young adults to ensure sufficient calcium intake to maximize peak bone mass in this group.