Campaign to educate women on bone health
Dietetic Association revealed women are confused about the
recommended daily amount of calcium they should consume.
A new campaign is launching today after a survey by the American Dietetic Association revealed women are confused and uneducated about the recommended daily amount of calcium they should consume.
The survey found nearly nine in ten women over 30 only consume about half of the recommended daily amount, suggesting that marketers of the nutrient have some way to go.
When asked how much calcium a woman aged 19-50 years old needs each day, 43 per cent of the 1,387 women surveyed replied: "It's too confusing to figure out how much calcium is in a serving of a particular food and then add everything up."
Nearly the same number of women surveyed agreed that, "I don't know how much calcium I need." Almost two-thirds of women surveyed (64 per cent) answered incorrectly or did not know.
In an effort to raise calcium consciousness, Quaker Oatmeal Nutrition for Women and the ADA are launching the Bone Up for Life campaign today, designed to promote bone health among women.
The six-month campaign will provide online quizzes and information to educate women on calcium recommendations, providing tools to assess bone health and tips to increase daily calcium intake.
As women enter their 30s, their bones begin to slowly lose the minerals that keep them strong and the rate of mineral loss increases significantly after age 50. Calcium consumption plays a key role in maintaining strong, healthy bones that are essential for good posture and an active lifestyle. The National Academy of Sciences recommends women aged 19-50 consume 1000 mg of calcium per day and women over 50 consume 1200 mg per day.
"The survey findings show that the first key step to addressing the calcium deficit in women's diets is for registered dietitians and other health professionals to educate women on the recommended daily intake for calcium," said registered dietitian and ADA president Marianne Smith Edge. "The negative health implications for women are huge if we don't do everything we can to encourage increased calcium intake," she added.
In conjunction with the campaign Quaker Oatmeal says it has reformulated its Nutrition for Women cereal line so that each serving is fortified with 50 per cent (500 mg) of a woman's recommended daily calcium needs, to help women get more calcium in their diets.
