Original articleOmega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids in adolescents: knowledge and consumption
Section snippets
Methods
Ninth graders in five Rhode Island public schools were invited to participate in an anonymous survey regarding their knowledge and dietary intake of n-3 PUFA. A letter was sent to parents or guardians informing them about the proposed survey and requesting that they notify the school if they did not consent to their child’s participation. The survey consisted of a 24-h dietary recall of the foods and beverages consumed during the day (weekday) before the survey, and of 12 questions assessing
Participants’ characteristics
After parental consent, 1117 adolescents agreed to participate in the study. Only 1% of the parents approached did not consent to their children’s participation. The average age of the adolescents was 14.8 ± 0.02 years, with 52% females and 48% males. The ethnic distribution included white (38%), Hispanic (23%), Portuguese (13%), African-American (11%), Asian-American (10%), and Cape Verdean (5%). Calculated BMI was 22.2 ± 0.2 in boys and 21.2 ± 0.2 in girls (p < .001); 61% of boys and 76% of
Discussion
The present study indicates that many adolescents are aware of some of the main health benefits of n-3 PUFA but lack information about requirements, sources, and amounts.
Data have been accumulating about the health benefits of VLC n-3 PUFA and their important role in disease prevention. Many epidemiologic, interventional, and animal studies have shown that an adequate consumption of n-3 PUFA of marine origin may reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, hypertension, and ischemic stroke 3, 4, 5
Acknowledgements
The authors thank Wendy Wholey and Karen Autieri for skillful preparation of the manuscript, and Cheryl Franklin for assistance. The authors thank all the adolescents who participated in the study and the administrations of Hope, Classical, Mt. Pleasant, Foster-Glocester High Schools, and Martin Junior High School.
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