There was no effect of calcium supplementation  on femoral neck or lumbar spine BMD .
There was no evidence of effect modification by baseline calcium intake , sex , ethnicity , physical activity or pubertal stage .
While there is a small effect of calcium supplementation in the upper limb , the increase in BMD which results is unlikely to result in a clinical ly significant decrease in fracture risk .
The results do not support the use of calcium supplementation  in healthy children as a public health intervention .
These results can not be extrapolated to children with medical conditions affecting bone metabolism
BACKGROUND Clinical trials have shown that  calcium supplementation in children can increase  bone mineral density ( BMD ) although this effect may not be maintained .
There has been no quantitative systematic review of this intervention .
To determine the effectiveness of calcium supplementation for improving BMD  in children .
.
To determine if any effect varies by sex , pubertal stage , ethnicity or level of physical activity , and if any effect persists after supplementation is ceased .
Dietary calcium intake by a group of 13 18-year-old Costa Rican teenagers.
Calcium intake is one of the most important predictors of the amount of bone mass gained during growth . Therefore , this study was design ed to estimate the dietary calcium intake of Costa Rican urban and rural adolescents ages 13 - 18 years old .  Calcium dietary intake was determined using prospect i ve 3-d diet records . Two-thirds ( or 66.7 % ) or less of the Adequate Intake ( AI ) was used as the criterion for inadequate calcium intake as suggested by several authors . Reported mean daily calcium intake was 573 mg + /- 290 . On average 82 % of the adolescents did not meet two-thirds of the Al for calcium . A higher percentage of rural than urban youngsters reported inadequate calcium intake ( 92 % and 75 % respectively , p = 0.000 ) . Likewise a higher percentage of girls ( 91 % ) than boys ( 77 % ) reported marginal calcium intake . This study shows evidence that nutritional interventions and educational strategies are urgent for increasing calcium consumption among adolescents in order to reduce the future burden of osteoporosis in old age
There was no effect of calcium supplementation  on femoral neck or lumbar spine BMD .
There was no evidence of effect modification by baseline calcium intake , sex , ethnicity , physical activity or pubertal stage .
While there is a small effect of calcium supplementation in the upper limb , the increase in BMD which results is unlikely to result in a clinical ly significant decrease in fracture risk .
The results do not support the use of calcium supplementation  in healthy children as a public health intervention .
These results can not be extrapolated to children with medical conditions affecting bone metabolism
BACKGROUND Clinical trials have shown that  calcium supplementation in children can increase  bone mineral density ( BMD ) although this effect may not be maintained .
There has been no quantitative systematic review of this intervention .
To determine the effectiveness of calcium supplementation for improving BMD  in children .
.
To determine if any effect varies by sex , pubertal stage , ethnicity or level of physical activity , and if any effect persists after supplementation is ceased .