Nutrition and blood lead levels in Native American and white children living in rural Oklahoma

Little is known about the dietary intake and nutrient sources of rural Native American and non-Hispanic white children. Most data concerning children's nutrient and foodgroup intake are based on information from national studies, often under-representing rural as well as Native American children. Diet has been shown to be associated with a number of chronic diseases, including heart disease, cancer and obesity. Therefore, assessing the quality of children's dietary intakes and identifying the top food sources of various nutrients is pertinent in the development of intervention programs and studies assessing food-disease associations. Over one million U.S. children have elevated blood lead levels (BLLs), making lead poisoning the principal environmental health issue for U.S. children. A variety of nutrients have been hypothesized to be related to BLLs, including calcium, iron and zinc, as well as citric/ascorbic acid and vitamin D. Most of these studies, however, have been conducted in experimental animals or adult humans. The limited studies that have examined associations between diet and BLLs in children show inconsistent findings. Data for this study were collected in 1997 as part of a population-based cross-sectional study. In-person interviews were conducted with caregivers of 331 Native American and white children living in rural Northeastern Oklahoma. The children were between 1 through 6 years of age. A modified Block/NCI Food Frequency Questionnaire was used to identify children's dietary intake. A blood sample was collected from each child and tested for blood lead levels. Results demonstrated that over 10% of study children consumed more than twice as many calories as recommended for their particular age group. All study children exceeded the maximum recommended intake of fat. The primary sources of energy were identified as milk, cheese, white bread, cheese, potato chips, hot dogs and Kool Aid. Solid fruit and vegetables were consumed rarely and in small quantities. The diets of Native American children were very similar compared to white children. In this rural child population, no clinically significant associations between diet and blood lead were identified.