Question 3
Studies looking at the correlation between whole grain consumption and chronic disease risk are limited among adolescents; do you think that this age group (12-19 year olds) is appropriate for this type of study? When counseling someone in this age group, are whole grains one of the first areas of discussion or concern?
posted by Kevin @ 8:32 PM
33 comments
33 Comments:
The lower end of this group is middle and high school children and the upper end is new college students. These adolescents are starting to make decisions on their own and choosing their own food at school lunch. I think this is an appropriate group to look at to know when preventative education should take place. I think that in talking with this age group you would want to educate them on an overall healthy plate and definitely touch on whole grains.
Though I do think it is important to gather data on this age group to find out how much whole grains they are consuming, I do wonder if it is appropriate to focus on the correlation with disease. I do believe that correlation between whole grains and weight status could make an appropriate study because these effects could take place more immediately. But chronic diseases, although they are showing up in more adolescents, may not yet have taken affect in all individuals at such a young age. This could then alter the results. In counseling someone of this age, I do think that whole grains are a very important topic to include because I believe it is necessary to instill good eating habits at younger ages. It could also be a benefit by playing a role in weight management.
I think this age group is appropriate. Although the lower ages may still rely completely on what they eat at home/school, the upper end of the group should have a good understanding of healthy food choices and be able to make their own decisions. They should also have an understanding about why it is important to make healthy food choices. This age group can get a little scary to work with due to "peer pressure" and skewed views of what healthy means but I still think they are appropriate for this type of study. I do think another study needs to be completed with this age group as they get older to determine what health issues this group faces in order to make a connection. I do not have much experience counseling this age group but I don't think that whole grains would necessarily be a concern of theirs. It may come about later on in a discussion and it's very important. I just think that when this age group thinks healthy, the first foods that come to mind are salads and fruit. This may be a stereotype but this is what I thought of as healthy when I was in this age group.
Due to the fact that we do not use the term "juvenile diabetes" anymore b/c 10 year olds are dx with type II, I believe it is completely appropriate to research this age group. If I were counseling an adolescent, I feel I would focus on portion sizes. As a kid, I never prepared my own meals, but I was in control of how much I ate and served myself. It would also depend on the age of the adolescent. I would probably counsel on the topic that would have the most impact on the adolescent for example: dining out/fast food. It seems everyone else agrees that studying this population is appropriate as well.
Only because they are developing lifelong habits in their teenage years is this study necessary to gage the correlation between grains and chronic disease risk. I think it is important to see what nutrition education and messages are getting through to the youth today to better their health tomorrow. While counseling someone in this age group I would first focus on total fat, saturated fat and sodium intake. These levels are generally above the recommended levels in this age group. Then because only a small number of children in the U.S. eat the recommended amounts of grains, fruits and vegetables, dairy products and meat I would cover the importance of making half your grains whole, and eating a wide variety of colors between your fruits and vegetables. I would then educate them on calorie dense snacks and meals because this age group consumes snacks and meals that are large portion sizes with added sugars and large soft drinks. I think it is important to emphasize that these habits can lead to inadequate intakes of vitamins and minerals as well as factors contributing to their current overall health and the health of their future.
Yes, I feel like the age grouping is fine for this type of study. However, there is a big difference in lifestyles between 12 and age 19. I feel like they could have broken down the results to two year age groups and then the larger picture.
Also, I don't know if whole grains would be one of the first areas of discussion or concern when working with the individual. However, studies like this can help with making policy for school food lunches and getting funding for helping people in this age range get more whole grains if they see it is an area they can fix easily by switching from processed to whole grains. Usually, on individual basis if the diet isn't already pretty good I would focus on an area like getting more veggies in or getting less soda or something.
I think counseling this age group on whole grains is very appropriate. In my opinion, the more education we can give middle school and highschool students before they go off to college and are feeding themselves everyday the better! It is much easier to educate before poor habits have been developed than try to break diet patterns.
I agree with Amanada that portion sizes would be my main educational point when counseling this age group, and Brooke brings up a good point that focusing on whole grains and their link to disease may not be the best educational approach. However, I do beleive that awareness of whole grains, what they are and why they are good for you as a whole is a good thing for this age group.
I think whole grains are generally associated with fiber. Fiber becomes more of an issue with an older population in terms of disease onset an physical issues. Thus the concept of a high intake of whole grains is not normally an area that is commonly talked about with younger clients. Also, with the common diet of today which includes fast foods and processed food items there are many other prominent areas to discuss before the topic of whole grains comes up.
Stephanie, I agree with you that this is a great time to look at preventative education. This is the time in many individuals lives when they are making choices outside of their parents influence thus potentially causing a greater impact knowing they have to make this choice themselves.
I think that this study is appropriate for this age group. The percentage of obese children and teens is rising every year. Many studies show that consuming a diet high in whole grains (and fiber) helps maintain a healthy body weight. When counseling this population whole grains is not my first area for concern. I usually address a lack of fruits and vegetables first but I do discuss the importance of whole grains.
Amanda, I think you make an excellent point that serving sizes is an important topic for this population. By eating a variety of foods in the correct portion size a wide variety of diseases may be avoided. This would something else I would discuss prior to servings needed for whole grains.
I think that this study is appropriate for the age group since research is limited and we know that food choices during the teen years can influence health and eating behaviors into adulthood. Whole grains would not be one of the first topics I would discuss with this age group but I do feel it is important. I would probably discuss variety and increasing fruits and vegetables first.
Jamie, you make good points about peer pressure among this population and skewed views of what is healthy. Maybe educating on whole grains to this age group would be a good way to combat the myth that carbs are bad! It would also show that more than just salad and fruit are healthy.
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Nate brings up an excellent point about the lifestyle habit differences between a 12-year-old and a 19-year-old. While children are still young, their parents are often making the food selection choices for them. But as they grow older, they get more freedoms, are able to drive and hang out with friends and therefore are away from home making more food choices on their own. Viewing the results in separate sections of these age groups may have been helpful.
I do think that this age group is appropriate for this study. Since there is limited research on this topic I think it was a good starting point and it might have been difficult to expand the age group.
If I was counseling someone in this age group I think rather than focusing on one food group I would urge consuming a balanced diet. Adolscents are growing and need many different nutrients to support this growth so I would not focus on just one food group.
Brooke-
Your thought regarding necessity of evaluating chronic disease risk with adolscents is interesting. I think this study would be very interesting if it turned into a long term study and evaluated their health status and dietary intake throughout their life.
Nate-
You make an excellent point about the differences in dietary intake between 12 and 19 year olds. I agree that it might have been beneficial to break the group into two.
I do think that this age group is appropriate for this type of study, given that chronic disease is showing up earlier and earlier in the lives of Americans. Information about the health of this age group is also appropriate because they are forming eating habits they will most likely carry through their entire lives. I am unsure whether it would be one of the first areas of discussion or concern when counseling an adolescent. Because calorie-dense, starchy snacks are so heavily marketed to this age group, maybe it should be. Healthier, whole-grain alternatives could be discussed to replace the chips, crackers, and other highly processed starchy foods in an adolescents diet.
It is important to look and study this group of individuals because they are making many of their own food choices and the habits that they form at this age will most likely be their habits for their lifestyles as they get older. I don't necessarily think that most adolescents are going to read nutritional studies and drastically change their eating habits, however dietitians will have adolescent clients and this knowledge is very useful when counseling them. When counseling this age group, I believe it's important to educate them on a healthy, balanced diet overall but whole grains are a fairly easy and tasty thing to incorporate. It's a great starting point when trying to change eating habits.
I agree with Emily when she stated that so many chronic diseases are showing up earlier and earlier. Many diseases that have been associated with older adults are being diagnosed in teenagers. Previous research has been done on older individuals because these diseases have been seen in their age range for a longer period of time versus adolescents.
This is a very critical age group to look at whole grain consumption because habits are developed at a young age and because we know that consuming whole grains is extremely beneficial. However, I am not sure that looking at whether a correlation exists for chronic disease risk indicators is going to be effective. I agree with Brooke, that many indicators may not show up in this age group, especially the lower end. I believe that whole grains are extremely important when counseling someone of this age but I am not sure if it would be my first area of discussion. Most of this age group is at the mercy of what their parents or school provides for food and I would emphasize consuming more fruits and vegetables before discussing whole grains.
I think that this is a very important age group to target. At this age, adolescents are becoming individuals and they take pride in making decisions on their own vs following their parents directions. Adolescents have the freedom to make dietary decisions outside of the home, and these habits that are formed can be life-long. I do not think that whole grains would be the first area of discussion in a counseling session. I think I would focus more on servings of fruits and vegetables consumed each day and whether important meals such as breakfast are being consumed.
Jamie-I think that the topic of "peer-pressure" when it comes to food choices is important to address. Adolescents may not choose healthier options in fear of being made fun of or being different. The last thing an adolescent wants to do is to feel disconnected from the group...
I agree with Nate that the age group in this study is large and probably could be divided. The whole grain consumption of highschoolers vs college students may vary drastically based on the foods available to the students.
I do believe this age group (12-19 year olds) is appropriate for this type of study because it emphasizes the importance of whole grain consumption early in life. By creating a focus of whole grain consumption throughout adolescents, when self decision making seems to begin, it is likely that dietary habits will continue over in adulthood. I believe this is important because generally it can be difficult to change dietary patterns later in life. Even if the individuals who are at a younger age of 12 or 13 do not fully grasp the idea of proper whole grain consumption at least they are being exposed to the idea.
As for counseling someone of this age I would not immediately address the area of whole grains but more of the idea of a well balanced diet and well rounded meals with visual tools such as myplate.
Yes I feel this age group is appropriate because habits start young, and we should try to make positive changes in any way, at any age. There are definitely other important nutrition issues to study for this age group (added sugar intake, fruit and vegetable intake, etc.), and those things are being studied, and whole grain intake deserves to be studied as well.
I really agree with that Amanda said regarding not being able to control what you eat but how much regarding adolescents that live with their parents. Portion sizes is a very important topic to educate this age group on. I still believe we should be counseling them on whole grain intake as well. Perhaps it will become a topic of discussion at the dinner table ("Hey mom, did you know that instead of white rice, we could eat brown rice, and it would count as a whole grain?") and create positive change for the entire family.
Also, it may be wise to split the age group up into younger and older adolescents. I have seen this done in studies before. As many of you have brought up, dietary habits across this age range vary drastically. It would be an extra step in the stats but it may provide us with some provocative results.
I not only think this type of study is appropriate for this age group. They are at a point in life where they are making many food choices without parental input. I think it is increasingly important to understand disease risk factors in young people. How long does it take before all the chicken nuggets and happy meals of our youth start to impact health? Results that support the relationship between whole grain intake and disease risk in teenagers can help fuel education efforts for younger children as well as programs for teenagers.
While I don't necessarily think this is the strongest of studies, it would be interesting to see a similar evaluation using more recent data. I would imagine that intake levels have increased over the last several years. I think there is more awareness of whole grains today, as well as more products that incorporate them. I know our local school districts are pushing whole grains in school lunches in everything from bread, to pasta, to pizza crust.
I agree with Alana and Nate that whole grains would probably not be the first area I would target when counseling someone this age. Based on other studies I have reviewed, the level of fruit and vegetable consumption for adolescents is equally as dismal as whole grains. I think using a tool such as MyPlate to discuss what make up a healthy meal would be a good place to start. If my 2nd grader can grasp this concept in one lesson at school, surely teenagers can! Getting them to implement it in their daily lives... well, that's another story. This age group is busy with activities and a social life and do not eat as many meals at home. As I was just reminded when being away for the weekend, it's hard to get a plate of food resembling MyPlate when your eating out.
Alana, I agree with your initial comment. I would address whole grains later after fruit and vegetable intake. I wanted to add that I think it is essential to counsel with samples of nutrition labels from whole grain options. Then you are able to show them to look at the ingredient list for the first ingredient to be "whole". Also to aim for sources that list the serving as having at least 3g of Dietary fiber or more. I think this kind of information will not only help them make these decision but make them feel more confident and in control of their new decisions.
I agree with several others that this population would be a better representation if it was broken up into two categories of younger and older adolescents because of such different lifestyles and surroundings.
Like Angela said, many schools, where many children get quite a bit of their nutrition, have already responded to the increasing need for more whole grains. I would also believe that their intake of whole grains has gone up very recently because of this.
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