Drawing data from Project EAT (Eating Among Teens), a prospective, population-based study designed to examine determinants of dietary intake and weight status, the responses of over 1,500 young adults (45% male) were analyzed by investigators from the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis. The mean age of participants was 15.9 years at baseline and 20.5 years at follow-up.
During the transition from middle adolescence (high school) to young adulthood (post-high school), females and males respectively reduced their daily calcium intakes by an average of 153mg and 194mg. Although 38% of females and 39% of males increased their intake of calcium over five years, the majority of the sample reduced their intake of calcium over five years. During middle adolescence, more than 72% of females and 55% of males had calcium intakes lower than the recommended level of 1,300mg/day. Similarly, during young adulthood, 68% of females and 53% of males had calcium intakes lower than the recommended level of 1,000mg/day.