Background Diets rich in whole grain are associated with several health benefits. Little is known however, about whole grain consumption patterns in Malaysia. The aim of this study was to assess whole grain intakes and dietary source in Malaysian children and adolescents. Methods This analysis is from the MyBreakfast study, a national cross sectional study investigating eating habits among primary and secondary school children throughout Malaysia, conducted in 2013. Children (n = 5,165) and adolescents (n = 2,947) who completed two days of dietary assessment using a food record or recall respectively were included. The whole grain content of foods was estimated mainly through the use of quantitative ingredient declarations on food labels. All wholegrain foods were considered irrespective of the amount of whole grain they contained. Results Overall, only 25% of children and 19% of adolescents were wholegrain consumers. Mean daily intakes in the total sample were 2.3g/d (SD 5.8g/d) in children and 1.7g/d (SD 4.7g/d) in adolescents and in the consumer’s only sample, mean intakes reached 9.1g/d (SD 8.6) and 9.2g/d (SD 7.1g/d) respectively. Wheat was the main grain source of whole grain while ready to eat breakfast cereals and hot cereals were the main food contributors. Less than 3% of the children and adolescents reached the US quantitative whole grain recommendation of 48g/day. Conclusion Whole grain is consumed by only a minority of Malaysian children and adolescents and even among consumers, intakes are well below recommendations. Efforts are needed to firstly understand the barriers to whole grain consumption among Malaysian children in order to design effective health promotion initiatives to promote an increase in whole grain consumption.
School of Healthcare Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia;Nutrition Society of Malaysia, c/o Division of Human Nutrition, Institute for Medical Research, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia;School of Healthcare Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia;Department of Health Professional and Food Service, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, Management & Science University, Shah Alam, Malaysia;Nutrition Society of Malaysia, c/o Division of Human Nutrition, Institute for Medical Research, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia;Nutrition Programme, School of Health Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Kubang Kerian, Kelantan, Malaysia;Nutrition Society of Malaysia, c/o Division of Human Nutrition, Institute for Medical Research, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia;Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Serdang, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Kembangan, Malaysia;Nutrition Society of Malaysia, c/o Division of Human Nutrition, Institute for Medical Research, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia;Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, School of Health Sciences, International Medical University, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia;Nutrition Society of Malaysia, c/o Division of Human Nutrition, Institute for Medical Research, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia;Sports Science Programme, Faculty of Sports Science and Recreation, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Shah Alam, Malaysia;Nutrition Society of Malaysia, c/o Division of Human Nutrition, Institute for Medical Research, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia;Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Serdang, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Kembangan, Malaysia;Nutrition Society of Malaysia, c/o Division of Human Nutrition, Institute for Medical Research, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia;Cereal Partners Worldwide, Lausanne, Switzerland;Nestlé Research Center, Vers chez les Blanc, Lausanne, Switzerland;Cereal Partners Worldwide, Lausanne, Switzerland;Nestle R&D Center, Singapore, Singapore;Nestle R&D Center, Singapore, Singapore;Nutrition Society of Malaysia, c/o Division of Human Nutrition, Institute for Medical Research, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Recommended Citation:
Norimah AK,H. C. Koo,Hamid Jan JM,et al. Whole Grain Intakes in the Diets Of Malaysian Children and Adolescents – Findings from the MyBreakfast Study[J]. PLOS ONE,2015-01-01,10(10)