This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow P3Rs: Submit a response
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me when P3Rs are posted
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Right arrow Citation Map
Services
Right arrow E-mail this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My File Cabinet
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow reprints & permissions
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via CrossRef
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Yu, S. M.
Right arrow Articles by Gergen, P.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Yu, S. M.
Right arrow Articles by Gergen, P.
Related Collections
Right arrow Nutrition & Metabolism

PEDIATRICS Vol. 100 No. 5 November 1997, p. e4

ELECTRONIC ARTICLE:
Vitamin-Mineral Supplement Use Among Preschool Children in the United States

Received Feb 3, 1997; accepted Jun 19, 1997.

Stella M. Yu*, Michael D. KoganDagger , and Peter Gergen§

From the * Health Resources and Services Administration, Maternal and Child Health Bureau, Rockville, Maryland; Dagger  Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics, Hyattsville, Maryland; and § Agency for Health Care Policy and Research, Rockville, Maryland.

Objective.  To estimate the prevalence of recent supplement use in a national sample of preschool children and to examine the relationship of maternal and child characteristics, past maternal supplement use practices, familial, health services, and child health factors associated with supplement use.

Methods.  We used data on 8285 preschool children whose mothers were interviewed for the 1991 Longitudinal Follow-up to the 1988 National Maternal and Infant Health Survey. Data collection was conducted either by telephone or personal interview. The sample is representative of the estimated 3.8 million US born children in 1988 and alive in 1991. The outcome measures are whether the child was given any vitamin and mineral supplements at least 3 days a week in the 30 days before the interview and the type of supplement received. Statistical techniques included bivariate and weighted multiple logistic regression analysis.

Results.  More than half of all US 3-year-olds (54.4%) were given some vitamin and mineral supplement. The most common supplements consumed were multivitamin-mineral with iron (59% of supplement users) and multivitamin-mineral without iron (26.4%). Children who received any supplements tended to have mothers who are non-Hispanic White, older, more educated, married, insured, receiving care from a private health care provider, have greater household income, and took supplements during pregnancy. Child health characteristics associated with supplement use included first birth order and having eating problems or poor appetites.

Conclusions.  More than half of US preschool children used vitamin and mineral supplements. The sociodemographic and health predictors identified for supplement use suggest that groups at risk for nonuse are likely the same groups whose circumstances may predispose a need for supplementation.

Key words: vitamin-mineral supplements, preschool child, socioeconomic factors, National Maternal and Infant Health Survey.