Dairy food intake of Australian children and adolescents 2-16 years of age: 2007 Australian National Children's Nutrition and Physical Activity Survey

Objective: Dairy food consumption is important for Australian children as it contributes key nutrients such as protein and Ca. The aim of the present paper is to describe dietary intake from dairy foods for Australian children aged 2-16 years in 2007. Design: Secondary analysis of a quota-sampled survey using population-weighted, 1 d (24 h) dietary recall data. Setting: Australian national survey conducted from February to August 2007. Subjects: Children (n 4487) aged 2-16 years. Results: Most Australian children consumed dairy foods (84-98%), with the proportion consuming tending to decrease with age and males consuming significantly more than females from the age of 4 years. Milk was the most commonly consumed dairy food (58-88%) and consumed in the greatest amount (243-384 g/d). Most children consumed regular-fat dairy products. The contribution of dairy foods to total energy intake decreased with age; from 22% of total energy at age 2-3 years to 11% at age 14-16 years. This trend was similar for all nutrients analysed. Dairy food intake peaked between 06.00 and 10.00 hours (typical breakfast hours) corresponding with the peak in dairy Ca intake. Australian children (older than 4 years) did not reach recommendations for dairy food intake, consuming <= 2servings/d. Conclusions: The under-consumption of dairy foods by Australian children has important implications for intake of key nutrients and should be addressed by multiple strategies.