Relationships Between Mothers' Employment And Nutritional Quality Of Adolescents' Diets

Abstract

Nutrient intakes and meal patterns of 123 adolescents with employed mothers were compared with those of 88 adolescents with nonemployed mothers. The 24‐hour food records indicated few differences between the two groups of ad olescents in total nutrient intakes or in intakes at breakfast, the evening meal, or snacks. Nutrient intakes per 1000 kilocalories indicated that adolescents with employed mothers had diets that were lower (p < 0.05) in nutrient density for iron, and they consumed snacks lower (p < 0.05) in nutrient density for iron and thiamin than did adolescents with nonemployed mothers. There were no signif icant differences between groups in the percentages of adolescents who skipped breakfast on the survey day, in the number of snacks they consumed, or in the number of evening meals eaten away from home.