Nutrition for the "tween" population -- children between the ages of 9 to 12 -- has been on the "hot seat" of late. Rising obesity rates in kids, coupled with the decrease in physical activity, gives everyone from parents to doctors to food-industry professionals a cause for concern.
Overweight kids are more likely than their normal-weight counterparts to incur a lifetime risk of coronary heart disease, hypertension, type 2 diabetes, osteoporosis and certain cancers, such as cervical and breast cancer. That's why the tween stage is important: It's a critical time for kids to explore good nutrition and physical activities they enjoy, which can help them develop and maintain healthy lifestyles as they get older. Tween nutrition sceneAccording to the most-recent Healthy Eating Index published in 2002 by USDA, kids' diet quality takes a major plunge around ages 11 to 14 as compared to ages 7 to 10, with males ranking slightly lower than females in overall quality. And compared to diet-quality scores from 1994 to 1996, the value continues to drop. Specifically, when overall nutrients and food servings are reviewed, tweens have a ways to go to meet recommendations. Additional research estimates that more than 60% of 6- to 11-year-olds do not meet their calcium needs, a major concern, because tweens need adequate intakes (1,300 mg per day) to optimize calcium deposits for lifelong bone health. Almost 50% of boys and nearly 60% of girls do not get the recommended servings of dairy daily. Additionally, more than 70% of both girls and boys this age do not eat adequate fruits or vegetables, and nearly 40% of boys and over 50% of girls do not consume adequate grains. More than 70% of boys and nearly 90% of girls also fall short of the Food Guide Pyramid's goals for meats. This can promote low intakes of iron and zinc, which can affect energy levels in and out of school. Studies also find tween diets often are low in vitamins C and E, as well as B vitamins. These statistics are important for tweens, as this is a key time for the body's growth and maturation. The adolescent growth spurt typically begins at ages 10 to 11 for girls and peaks at 12, while for boys it begins at ages 12 to 13 and peaks at 14. Even moderate undernutrition can have lasting negative effects on cognitive development and school performance. Iron-deficiency anemia can lead to irritability, fatigue, inability to concentrate and shortened attention span. And low protein consumption in this age group is linked to low academic-achievement scores. Nutrition versus imageTweens often end up in a Catch 22 situation. They might be overweight and underactive, but at the same time, this is the age when they tend to pay a sometimes inappropriate and potentially harmful amount of attention to appearance, weight and body image. In the new Nickelodeon/Youth Intelligence Tween Report, a lifestyle study of 9- to 14-year-olds, 14% said they worry about their weight, while 8% had been on a diet. If kids -- especially girls -- have a significant adult in their lives on a diet, they are more apt to diet. And research has shown that trendy, low-carb diets also trickle down to tweens.
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