A longitudinal feeding study of 154 infants in Southwest Virginia was conducted during 1978-1980. The incidence of vitamin and mineral supplementation among these infants was the focus of the retrospective study discussed here. With the use of the Nutritional Analysis System of Louisiana State University, nutrient adequacy levels were determined. Vitamin D, vitamin E, folacin, vitamin B-6, and iron were the problem nutrients identified through this analysis. Inappropriate infant feeding practices such as the use of low iron formulas, the use of cow's milk, and the consumption of inadequate milk volume were blamed for these dietary deficiencies. Routine vitamin supplementation was common among infants of all feeding types. While much of the supplementation was unnecessary, large percentages of infants demonstrated a need for it. The exception was vitamin A. None of the infants who received supplemental vitamin A had inadequate dietary intakes of this nutrient. Supplementation was not shown to have an effect on weight or length gain measurements. Parents should be given specific infant feeding instructions prior to hospital discharge. Included should be a list of the circumstances which would indicate the need for supplementation. / M.S.

Data were analyzed that had been collected for a project entitled "Identification of Infants at Risk for the Development of Obesity" by the staff of the Human Nutrition and Foods, and Family and Child Development Departments at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. There were 156 subjects contacted to participate in the study. Demographic variables were collected and reported on each infant. Dietary Data were collected through means of a 24-hour dietary recall, bimonthly for 1 year. The data were analyzed using the Computer Assisted Instructional Program RCALL (Va. Coop. Exten. Ser., 1975). Vitamins A and C, riboflavin, niacin and iron were analyzed further to obtain bivariate joint frequency distributions and chi-squares. It was found that regardless of whether or not there was nutrient supplementation of an infant's diet, there were often excesses in nutrient intake. It was also found that breast fed infants (in the first 5 to 7 months of life) were supplemented significantly more often than formula fed infants but groups were not mutually exclusive throughout the study and further data could not be obtained so the effect of supplementation was not examined. Implications and recommendations for heal th education in the area of pediatric nutrition are discussed. Recommendations for further study are made based on this study. / M.S.