Dietary recommendations and long-term health objectives, including the Dietary Guidelines for Americans and the Year 2000 Health Objectives for the Nation, call for Americans to reduce intake of total fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, and sodium, increase intake of fruits, vegetables, grain products, and foods rich in calciuw and moderate intake of sugars, salt, and alcohol (l-3). Developing nutrition policy, monitoring progress toward achieving dietary recommendations, and designing nutrition intervention programs to achieve health objectives require information about the diet of Americans. Information about the population’s dietary intake is collected in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), one of the major national surveys in the National Nutrition Monitoring and Related Research Program (4-7).

The National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (HANES) are a major source of periodic information on the dietary, nutritional, and health status of the US. population (4-8). HANES data play a unique role in nutrition monitoring and epidemiologic research, combining personal dietary interviews with standardized health examinations (7-9). NCHS completed three HANES surveys between 1971 and 1984 (5,6,8). The tthird National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, NHANES III, was conducted by NCHS during 1988-94 (5,10).

Suggested citation: McDowell MA, Briefel RR, Alaimo K, et al. Energy and macronutrient intakes of persons ages 2 months and over in the United States Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, Phase 1, 1986-91. Advance data horn vital and health statistics; No 255. Hyattsville, Maryland National Center for Health Statistics. 1894.nd Nutrition Examination Survey, Phase 1, 1986-91. Advance data from vital and health statistics no 258. Hyattsville, Maryland: National Center for Health Statistics. 1994.

PMID: 10141689

4-1957 (10/94)

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