Texas A&M AgriLife Research Center at El Paso Center Director and Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Associate Department Head for Nutrition Extension
Project: Precision Nutrition research in adolescent females.
The 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA) indicates that the population group with the greatest differences between recommended food group amounts and current intakes is adolescent females ages 14-18y. This gap between recommendations and intake is especially concerning because adolescence is such a crucial period of growth and development. In addition, adolescents have more autonomy over food choices than younger children but are still dependent on their parents or guardians for the types of foods available in the home and the preparation of those foods. Adolescent females are, therefore, an ideal population subgroup to benefit from precision nutrition research. Using a precision nutrition approach, this project proposes to develop a more detailed understanding of the current nutritional status of adolescent females and a broader and deeper understanding of the factors affecting the dietary choices of adolescent females and their parents.