Dietary patterns and food choices of a population sample of adults on Guam

Abstract

This study examined dietary patterns of adults on Guam. Four hundred subjects were selected via a multistage procedure to represent the island's population. A 24-hour dietary recall was administered via telephone in 1995 to 1996. Diets were computer analyzed. There were 4,913 food items reported, representing 1,042 individual foods. Most respondents, 51.3%, had a "more-frequent" eating pattern, 36.9% had "regular" and 11.8% had "less-frequent." Energy consumption increased (p<0.05) with eating frequency. Highest levels of all nutrients (p<0.05) were at the evening meal. The sexes did not differ in nutrient proportions by meal. Grains, meats, and beverages were eaten most frequently. Meat/fish, mixed dishes, and grains supplied 68% of the energy and 47% to 91% of the micronutrients. Twenty five percent of the carbohydrate was from sweetened drinks and desserts. Rice was the most frequently consumed food. More than half of the subjects had no fruit, a third had no vegetables, and only 38.5% had dairy foods. Calcium came from multiple sources: dairy (27.6%), mixed dishes (23.8%), fish (12.6%), desserts (8.5%) and vegetables (6.6%). Most people, 91.8%, had fiesta meals with median consumption at 6 meals per year (range: 0 to 200). Betel nut was used by 12.3% of the sample with median consumption 0 whole nuts per day (range: 0 to 25). Ethnic differences (p<0.01) were observed in both fiesta meal and betel nut consumption. The Guamanian diet includes limited use of traditional foods and dietary patterns associated with increased risk for chronic disease.