Dairy Foods and Blood Pressure in Multi-Ethnic Children

The primary aim of the study is to determine the impact of dairy foods on blood pressure; however, we will also evaluate the effect of the intervention on body weight and composition. Specifically, we will evaluate change in body mass index (BMI, kg/m2], waist circumference in all subjects and body composition by bioelectrical impedance (BIA) in a subset. We hypothesize that children receiving the dairy snacks will exhibit less increase in BMI and body fat than control subjects. We are studying a group of children at high risk for elevated blood lipids and glucose intolerance due to their racial/ethnic makeup and high prevalence of overweight and obesity. Thus, we will evaluate the impact of the intervention on blood lipids, glucose and insulin in a subset of subjects.

We hypothesize that children receiving the dairy foods will exhibit improvements in their lipids, glucose and insulin as compared to control children. We also plan to determine their eating habits through a 24 hour dietary recall at the beginning, middle and end of the study, with 2 additional recalls for the subset at each time point. Dietary behavior and self efficacy will be analyzed before and after the intervention through a questionnaire. Physical activity levels will be assessed by a short physical activity questionnaire on all students and through the utilization of accelerometers in the subset. Our control schools will undergo the same testing, but will not receive any intervention.

Inclusion criteria

• Willingness to participate in the study
• Signed informed consent form by the parents and/or guardians
• Assent from the child

Exclusion criteria

• Children with food allergies or other dietary requirements that restrict their ability to consume the snack
• Children with a chronic medical condition that may influence blood pressure or calcium metabolism such as renal disease or type 1 diabetes mellitus