Low dairy consumption and high stunting prevalence
Apart from the lack of intake, sociodemographic factors and food habits may also contribute to explain the high prevalence of stunting and the poor nutritional status among Indonesian children. To analyse the associations between nutrient intake, dairy intake and socioeconomic variables, the authors collected food consumption data among 3600 children, aged 0.5 to 12 years old. They also determined the frequency of dairy use and anthropometric and sociodemographic variables. The results showed that dairy consumption was low, with more than 70 % of children, on average, reporting to be a non-dairy user.
Dairy are useful for achieving RDA and better nutrition
The study also found that dairy use was similar for both boys and girls. A higher dairy consumption was associated with urban areas, a higher education of the mother, a working mother and an upper level of wealth status of the family. Dairy users achieved more frequently the RDA for all nutrients, compared to non-dairy users. This remained the case after correcting for the confounding effect of the higher energy intake (from dairy) and socio-demographic variables. The contribution to the RDA increased with the increasing frequency of dairy use. They concluded that adequate dairy intake can substantially add to the achievement of RDA in Indonesian children.
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Source: Widodo et al. Asia Pacific Journal of Clinical Nutrition 2016; 25 : 356-367.
