Assessing Nutrient Intakes of High-Needs Groups

Nutritionally adequate diets provide, on average, sufficient energy and essential nutrients without exceeding tolerable upper-intake levels. In recent years, concerns about the nutritional adequacy of the diets of certain at-risk population groups have arisen.

Using data on food and supplement intake from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) and on food intake from the Continuing Survey of Food Intakes by Individuals (CSFII), we analyzed the usual nutrient intake of teenage females, the elderly, overweight and obese people, individuals in food insecure households, and low-income persons, as well as those participating in food and nutrition assistance programs.

The study, funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service, looked at three main questions:

• What is the usual nutrient intake for these subgroups?
• What is the usual nutrient density of their diets?
• Do certain subgroups (for example, overweight and obese women) have diets with lower nutrient densities relative to other groups?
  
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