NCHS Data Brief ■ No. 75 ■ September 2011

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

National Center for Health Statistics

Low-fat Milk Consumption Among Children and Adolescents 

in the United States, 2007–2008

Brian K. Kit, M.D., M.P.H.; Margaret D. Carroll, M.S.P.H.; and Cynthia L. Ogden, Ph.D., M.R.P.

Key findings

Data from the National 

Health and Nutrition 

Examination Survey, 2007–

2008

•	 Approximately 20% of

children and adolescents

reported low-fat milk as the

type of milk usually consumed.

Two-percent milk was reported

as the type of milk usually

consumed by 45.4% of children

and adolescents.

•	 Adolescents aged 12–19

years reported low-fat milk

as their usual milk type more

often than younger children

aged 2–5 years.

•	 Non-Hispanic black

and Hispanic children and

adolescents reported low-fat

milk as their usual milk type

less frequently than their

non-Hispanic white

counterparts.

•	 Children and adolescents

in higher-income categories

reported low-fat milk as their

usual milk type more frequently

than children in lower-income

categories.

Introduction

Milk and milk products are recommended in Dietary Guidelines for 

Americans, 2010 because of their positive contribution to dietary intake

of calcium, vitamin D, and other nutrients (1). Milk consumption during

childhood is particularly important for achieving optimal lifetime bone

health (2,3). To obtain the nutritional benefits of milk while limiting

caloric and fat intake, low-fat milk and milk products are recommended

by Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2010 and the American Academy of

Pediatrics (4) for all individuals aged 2 years and over. This report presents

recent national data on the frequency and type of milk consumed by youth

in the United States.

Keywords: nutrition • child health • calcium • National Health and Nutrition 

Examination Survey

How frequently do children and adolescents drink milk?

During the preceding 30 days, girls reported daily milk consumption less

frequently than boys (67.4% compared with 77.7%). Among girls, 7.0%











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NCHS Data Brief ■ No. 75 ■ September 2011

■  2  ■

reported never drinking milk and 3.4% of boys reported never drinking milk (Figure 1). Overall,

72.6% of children and adolescents consumed milk daily, 15.6% weekly, 6.5% rarely, and 5.1%

never (results not shown).

What type of milk, by fat content, do children and adolescents consume?

Among children who reported milk consumption, 20.2% reported low-fat milk, 45.4% reported

two-percent milk, and almost one-third (32.4%) reported whole milk as the type of milk usually

consumed (Figure 2). Boys and girls did not differ significantly in low-fat milk consumption

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NCHS Data Brief ■ No. 75 ■ September 2011

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Are there differences by age in low-fat milk consumption?

Children in older age groups reported consuming low-fat milk more often than children in

younger age groups. Among children aged 2–5 years, 13.0% reported usually consuming lowfat milk. Among children aged 6–11 years and adolescents aged 12–19 years, 21.1% and 23.3%,

respectively, reported low-fat milk as the usual type of milk consumed (Figure 3).

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NCHS Data Brief ■ No. 75 ■ September 2011

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Are there differences by race/ethnicity in low-fat milk consumption?

Non-Hispanic black and Hispanic youth reported low-fat milk as their usual milk type less often

than their non-Hispanic white counterparts (Figure 4). Low-fat milk was reported as the usual

milk type by approximately 28% of non-Hispanic white children and adolescents. Approximately

5% of non-Hispanic black and 10% of Hispanic children and adolescents reported low-fat milk as

their usual type of milk.

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NCHS Data Brief ■ No. 75 ■ September 2011

■  5  ■

Are there differences by income in low-fat milk consumption?

Children and adolescents in the highest income category reported low-fat milk as the usual

milk type more frequently than those in the lowest income category (Figure 5). For example,

among children and adolescents living in households below 130% of the poverty level, less than

10% reported low-fat milk as the usual milk type. Among children and adolescents living in

households at or above 350% of the poverty level, 38.1% reported low-fat milk as the usual milk

type.













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NCHS Data Brief ■ No. 75 ■ September 2011

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Summary

In 2007–2008, among children and adolescents aged 2–19 years, 77.7% of boys and 67.4% of

girls reported daily consumption of milk. Fewer than 10% of children and adolescents reported

never consuming milk over the preceding 30 days. Among children and adolescents who reported

milk consumption, two-percent milk was reported as the usual type of milk consumed more often

than other milk types. Only 20.2% of children and adolescents reported consuming low-fat milk

as their usual type of milk; low-fat milk consumption was particularly low among non-Hispanic

black, Hispanic, and low-income children and adolescents.

The overall low consumption of low-fat milk suggests the majority of children and adolescents

do not adhere to recommendations by Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2010 and the American

Academy of Pediatrics for all children aged 2 years and over to drink low-fat milk. Recently,

First Lady Michelle Obama’s “Let’s Move!” campaign (5) and “The Surgeon General’s Vision

for a Healthy and Fit Nation 2010” (6) have recommended promoting water and low-fat milk

and reducing sugar-sweetened beverages as components of comprehensive obesity prevention

strategies.

Definitions

Frequency of milk consumption: During an in-home interview, participants were asked, “In the

past 30 days, how often did you have milk to drink or on cereal?” Participants were asked to

include chocolate and other flavored milks as well as hot cocoa made with milk but not to include

milk added to coffee or tea. Frequency of milk consumption was categorized as: daily (once a day

or more), weekly (once a week or more but less than once a day), rarely (less than once a week),

never, and varied. Fewer than 1% of participants in this analysis reported a frequency of “varied”

(results not shown).

Usual type of milk consumed: Participants who reported drinking milk in the preceding 30 days

were asked to report the usual type of milk consumed. Responses for milk type were categorized

for this analysis into mutually exclusive categories: whole, two percent, low fat (includes one

percent and skim/fat free), and other. Approximately 5% of children and adolescents reported

more than one milk type. In this report, individuals reporting multiple milk types were classified

as consuming milk with the lowest fat content of the milks selected.

Low-fat milk: Includes skim/fat-free and one-percent milk. Milk with two-percent milkfat is

reduced-fat, rather than low-fat, milk.

Poverty income ratio (PIR): Refers to the ratio of household income to the poverty threshold after

accounting for inflation and family size. In 2008, a PIR of 350% was equivalent to approximately

$77,000 for a family of four while a PIR of 130% was equivalent to approximately $29,000 for a

family of four. The income eligibility criteria for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program

and free school lunches in the National School Lunch Program is a PIR of 130% (7).

Race/ethnicity: Was self- or proxy-reported. For this analysis, race/ethnicity was categorized

as non-Hispanic white, non-Hispanic black, Hispanic, and “other,” which includes Asian and

multiracial. The “other” category is included in total estimates but results are not separately

reported for this group.
NCHS Data Brief ■ No. 75 ■ September 2011

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Data source and methods

Data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) were used for these

analyses. NHANES is a cross-sectional survey designed to monitor the health and nutritional

status of the civilian noninstitutionalized U.S. population. The survey consists of interviews

conducted in participants’ homes, standardized physical examinations in mobile examination

centers, and laboratory tests utilizing blood and urine specimens provided by participants during

the physical examination. All data for this report were collected during the in-home interview.

The NHANES sample is selected through a complex, multistage design that includes selection of

primary sampling units (counties), household segments within the counties, households within

segments, and finally, sample persons from selected households. The sample design includes

oversampling to obtain reliable estimates of health and nutritional measures for population

subgroups. In 2007–2008, African-American and Hispanic persons were oversampled. In 1999,

NHANES became a continuous survey, fielded on an ongoing basis. Each year of data collection

is based on a representative sample covering all ages of the civilian noninstitutionalized

population. Public-use data files are released in 2-year cycles. Sample weights, which account for

the differential probabilities of selection, nonresponse, and noncoverage, were incorporated into

the estimation process. The standard errors of the percentages were estimated using Taylor series

linearization, a method that incorporates the sample weights and sample design.

Differences between groups were evaluated using a t statistic at the p < 0.05 significance level

with the appropriate degrees of freedom. All differences reported are statistically significant

unless otherwise indicated. To test for linear trends within age and income groups, the null

hypothesis of nonlinear trend was examined using orthogonal polynomials. Statistical analyses

were conducted using the SAS System for Windows release 9.2 (SAS Institute, Cary, N.C.) and

SUDAAN release 10.0 (Research Triangle Institute, Research Triangle Park, N.C.).

About the authors

Brian K. Kit, Margaret D. Carroll, and Cynthia L. Ogden are with the Centers for Disease

Control and Prevention’s National Center for Health Statistics, Division of Health and Nutrition

Examination Surveys.

References

1.	 U.S. Department of Agriculture and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Dietary

guidelines for Americans, 2010. 7th edition. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.

2010.

2.	 Greer FR, Krebs NF. Optimizing bone health and calcium intakes of infants, children, and

adolescents. Pediatrics 117(2):578–85. 2006.

3.	 Bailey DA, Martin AD, McKay HA, Whiting S, Mirwald R. Calcium accretion in girls and

boys during puberty: A longitudinal analysis. J Bone Miner Res 15(11):2245–50. 2000.

4.	 Gidding SS, Dennison BA, Birch LL, Daniels SR, Gillman MW, Lichtenstein AH, et al.

Dietary recommendations for children and adolescents: A guide for practitioners. Pediatrics

117(2):544–59. 2006.
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5.	 White House Task Force on Childhood Obesity. Solving the problem of

childhood obesity within a generation. 2010. Available from: http://www.

letsmove.gov/sites/letsmove.gov/files/TaskForce_on_Childhood_Obesity_

May2010_FullReport.pdf [Accessed 8/25/11].

6.	 Benjamin RM. The Surgeon General’s vision for a healthy and fit nation.

Public Health Rep 125(4):514–5. 2010.

7.	 U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Service. Child

nutrition programs—Income eligibility guidelines. Fed Regist 74(58):13410–

12. 2009. Available from: http://www.fns.usda.gov/cnd/governance/notices/

iegs/IEGs09-10.pdf.

Suggested citation

Kit BK, Carroll MD, Ogden CL. Low-fat

milk consumption among children and

adolescents in the United States, 2007–2008.

NCHS data brief, no 75. Hyattsville, MD:

National Center for Health Statistics. 2011.

Copyright information

All material appearing in this report is in

the public domain and may be reproduced

or copied without permission; citation as to

source, however, is appreciated.

National Center for Health 

Statistics

Edward J. Sondik, Ph.D., Director

Jennifer H. Madans, Ph.D., Associate 

Director for Science

Division of Health and Nutrition 

Examination Surveys

Clifford L. Johnson, M.S.P.H., Director

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