Current contribution to energy and nutrient intake from dairy foods in children and adults using National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2015-2018.

Background: The Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA) recommends 2-3 servings of dairy a day, but most of the American population consumes less. Multiple factors can influence the intake of dairy including sex, age, ethnicity, and income.

Objective: To determine calorie and nutrient contribution of dairy foods stratified by race/ethnicity in the US to assess if messages regarding dairy recommendations should be tailored to different populations.

Methods: National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2015-2018 (N=14,851) data were used to calculate the contribution of dairy and dairy products to under-consumed nutrients and nutrients of public health concern stratified by age and race/ethnicity. The population ratio method was used to determine percentage of contribution of dairy foods to calories and nutrients.

Results: Milk was the top source of vitamin D and potassium from the dairy group, whereas cheese was the top source of calcium in children and adults. Both non-Hispanic black children and adults consumed less nutrients from dairy, whereas non-Hispanic Asian children consumed more nutrients from dairy compared to their adult counterparts.

Conclusions: Given the disparity in dairy intake, results suggest concerted efforts are needed to develop targeted specific messages to different subgroups based on race/ethnicity to promote dairy intake.