American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Vol 27, 559-564, Copyright © 1974 by The American Society for Clinical Nutrition, Inc.

Vitamin nutriture in black, urban, day care children

¹ From the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia Rebound Health Center, and The University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

In an effort to determine the efficacy of the nutritional program in our Day Care Center, we studied 26 day care and 15 non-day care children aged 7 to 35 months, from the same socioeconomic and demographic ghetto background. Mean daily intakes and serum values were determined for several nutrients including calcium, carotene, vitamins A, B₁₂, C, E, and folate. The day care children had a mean higher intake and serum level of vitamin A, whereas the serum level of vitamin E was higher in the olden non-day care children. Mean intakes and serum levels of the other vitamins were the same in both groups. Deficient vitamin A and ascorbic acid intakes were found in a higher proportion of the non-day care children than in the day care group. It is suggested that day care nutritional programs be examined carefully with a view to bringing them to closer conformity with the recommended daily allowances appropriate for the ages of the children they serve.