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Nutritional Epidemiology (Poster Session)

(P13-031-24) Eggs Contribute Essential Nutrients to the Diet of American Children Across Ethnicities

Sunday, June 30, 2024
12:45 PM – 1:45 PM CT
Location: Poster Board 420
Disclosure(s):
Jen Houchins, PhD, RD: No relevant financial relationship(s) with ineligible companies to disclose.
Yanni Papanikolaou, MPH: No relevant financial relationship(s) with ineligible companies to disclose.


Objectives: Evaluate the energy and nutrient contribution of eggs to the diet of American children by ethnic subgroup.

Methods: The dietary interview component of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2015-2016 and 2017-2018 data were utilized to examine the nutrient contribution of eggs in children 2-18 years (n=5,038) by ethnicity (Asian, Black, Hispanic, White). SAS PROC SQL was used to create and prepare data for analyses, while SAS PROC SURVEY MEANS was used for all statistical calculations, including means and percentages. To assess meaningful differences among groups, 95th percentile confidence limits of the means were calculated.

Results: Asian and Hispanic children consume more energy from eggs per day (37.2 ± 3.0 and 32.2 ± 2.1 kcal/day, respectively) compared to the White subgroup (24.4 ± 1.4 kcal/day). For Black children, the mean energy intake (23.6 ± 2.4 kcal/day) from eggs is lower than the Asian subgroup, but not different from the Hispanic or White subgroups. The contribution of eggs to the percent daily choline and vitamin D intake paralleled energy intake, with eggs contributing a higher percent of daily choline and vitamin D for Asian and Hispanic children compared to White children. The contribution of eggs to the percent of daily lutein + zeaxanthin and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) intake varied by ethnic subgroup. Black and White children consume a lower proportion of daily lutein + zeaxanthin from eggs compared to Hispanic children. Asian children consume a lower proportion of daily DHA from eggs compared to Hispanic and White children.

Conclusions: Eggs make significant contributions of several essential nutrients, including choline, vitamin D, lutein and zeaxanthin, and DHA, to the diet of American children. Further analysis of how these subgroups of the population consume eggs would be beneficial to develop more precise dietary guidance.

Funding Sources: American Egg Board’s Egg Nutrition Center