Usual Energy and Nutrient Intakes and Food Sources of Filipino Children Aged 6-12 Years from the 2013 National Nutrition Survey

Usual energy and nutrient intakes and food sources were evaluated in school-aged children in the Philippines using data from the 2013 National Nutrition Survey. A total of 6,565 children 6-12 years old from all sampled 8,592 households were interviewed for a 24-h dietary recall (first day). A second-day recall was obtained from a random subsample (50% of children). Usual energy and nutrient intakes were estimated using the PC-SIDE program. Energy intake was compared with estimated energy requirements (EER) considering an active activity level. Macronutrients were evaluated using acceptable macronutrient distribution ranges. Micronutrient inadequacies were computed using the estimated average requirement cutoff point method. Mean energy intake was 24.6% below the EER. A high prevalence of nutrient inadequacy was found: protein 16%, thiamine 55%, riboflavin 67%, vitamin C 81%, vitamin A 63%, vitamin B6 30%, vitamin B12 9%, folate 70%, calcium 93%, phosphorous 48%, iron 87%, and zinc 38%. Rice was the major food source of energy (52.7%), carbohydrates (67.4%), and protein (35.2%). Rice also contributed a high proportion of daily phosphorous, calcium, thiamine, riboflavin, and iron. This study demonstrated that intakes of many micronutrients of Filipino school children were markedly inadequate. Refined rice was the major food source of energy and nutrients.