International Journal of Nutrition and Dietetics
Volume 2, Issue 2, Pages 115 - 129
(November 2014)
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ETHNIC ADEQUACY OF CONSUMER NUTRIENT DATABASES
Marcia Helen-Mae Magnus and Juanita Enogieru
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Abstract: By 2050, 50% of the US population will be non-White. Ethnic foods constitute a major proportion of food consumption, and health Internet use is increasing. Approximately 787 ethnic foods from 16 ethnic groups were entered into 20 free online nutrition databases to determine the frequency of nutrient data on ethnic foods. Nutrient data were provided for 36.9% of 787 ethnic foods, with African American foods having the highest frequency of reporting (63.1%) and lowest among foods of the Plains Indians (p = .000). The DailyBurn website had the highest ethnic adequacy: 64.1%. Ethnic adequacy was highest for fats 58.3% and lowest among desserts 23.9% (p = .000). The top two nutrient databases varied by ethnic group. There may be a need to provide more ethnic nutrient data for: fruits (37.2%), free foods (35.1%), milk/dairy (32.0), desserts (23.9%) and holiday foods (20.5%). Future research needs to examine the impact of nutrition trackers on diet quality. |
Keywords and phrases: Internet, dietary self management, database management systems, ethnic group, diet, ethnic foods. |
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