Children's frequency of consumption of foods high in fat and sodium

We administered a food frequency instrument to third-fifth grade students (n = 943) in four Texas schools. Comparison of foods reported on the food frequency questionnaire and on 24-hour dietary recalls (n = 7) produced a percent agreement of 83.3. The most frequent 25 foods accounted for 64.0% of food choices across all meals, 93.5% of breakfast choices, 76.4% of lunch choices, 70.5% of supper choices, and 76.0% of snack choices. Breads, milk, hamburger or steak, soda pop, tomato sauce or tomatoes, and cheese were the most frequently consumed foods. Fruits and juices accounted for 6.1% of total selections for boys and 6.6% for girls, while vegetables accounted for 15.7% of total selections for boys and 16.2% for girls. Fruit was more likely to be consumed for snacks than for meals, and vegetables were consumed in about the same frequency at lunch and supper and for snacks. We analyzed the total fat, saturated fat, and sodium content of the most frequently consumed foods. Seventeen of the top 25 foods for the total day and 13-16 for each meal or snack exceeded by at least 50% the recommended levels for fat, saturated fat, or sodium. The pattern of consumption was one of frequent consumption of a relatively small number of foods, many of which are high in fat or sodium.