National Nutrition Month

March is National Nutrition Month.  While you may know it is important to eat a healthy diet, it isn’t always easy to sort through all of the information available about nutrition and food choices.

Through the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), NCHS has a program of studies designed to assess the health and nutritional status of adults and children in the United States. The survey is unique in that it combines interviews and physical examinations.

Findings from this survey will be used to determine the prevalence of major diseases and risk factors for diseases. Information will be used to assess nutritional status and its association with health promotion and disease prevention. NHANES findings are also the basis for national standards for such measurements as height, weight, and blood pressure. Data from this survey will be used in epidemiological studies and health sciences research, which help develop sound public health policy, direct and design health programs and services, and expand the health knowledge for the Nation.

Here some recent findings from NHANES on nutrition:

• Almost 40% of adults consumed nuts on a given day.
• More than three-quarters of youth aged 2–19 years (77.1%) consumed fruit on a given day.
• Almost 92% of youth aged 2–19 years consumed vegetables on a given day.
• Nine out of 10 children aged 2–5 years consumed fruit, while only 6 out of 10 adolescents consumed fruit on a given day.

Here are some more links on nutrition:

http://www.cdc.gov/nutrition/

http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nhanes.htm