Table 1.
Nutritional overview of ready-to-eat breakfast cereals targeted at children (n=21) compared to those not targeted at children (n=240) and their estimated healthiness. The mean fiber amount in child-targeted cereals was based on 20 products since 1 product did not display its fiber content.
| Nutritiona | Child-targeted cereals | Non–child-targeted cereals | P valueb | |
| Energy (kJ/100 g) | .18 | |||
|
|
Mean (SD) | 1628 (68) | 1699 (202) |
|
|
|
Median (IQR) | 1618 (49) | 1647 (225) |
|
| Total fat (g/100 g) | <.001 | |||
|
|
Mean (SD) | 3.0 (2.8) | 10.5 (9.6) |
|
|
|
Median (IQR) | 2.3 (1.5) | 7.6 (12.8) |
|
| Saturated fat (g/100 g) | <.001 | |||
|
|
Mean (SD) | 0.8 (0.8) | 2.6 (3.0) |
|
|
|
Median (IQR) | 0.6 (0.6) | 1.8 (3.0) |
|
| Carbohydrates (g/100 g) | <.001 | |||
|
|
Mean (SD) | 78.3 (5.3) | 62.0 (13.5) |
|
|
|
Median (IQR) | 78.0 (6.1) | 62.0 (13.4) |
|
| Sugars (g/100 g) | <.001 | |||
|
|
Mean (SD) | 22.3 (7.5) | 12.8 (7.8) |
|
|
|
Median (IQR) | 23.5 (13.0) | 11.0 (12.1) |
|
| Protein (g/100 g) | .002 | |||
|
|
Mean (SD) | 8.1 (1.7) | 10.5 (2.6) |
|
|
|
Median (IQR) | 8.2 (2.2 | 10.0 (3.2)) |
|
| Fiber (g/100 g) | .01 | |||
|
|
Mean (SD) | 6.2 (2.5) | 9.8 (5.0) |
|
|
|
Median (IQR) | 6.8 (3.6) | 9.0 (4.8) |
|
| Salt (g/100 g) | .61 | |||
|
|
Mean (SD) | 0.5 (0.3) | 0.5 (0.4) |
|
|
|
Median (IQR) | 0.6 (0.6) | 0.4 (0.6) |
|
| HSRc score | .07 | |||
|
|
Mean (SD) | 3.5 (0.5) | 3.8 (0.9) |
|
|
|
Median (IQR) | 3.8 (1.0) | 4.0 (1.5) |
|
| Keyhole symbol, n (%) | 1 (5) | 53 (22) | .06 | |
aData are n (%) for the categorical variable and mean (SD) and median (IQR) for continuous variables.
bComparison of child-targeted versus non–child-targeted breakfast cereals was analyzed with a Mann-Whitney U test.
cHSR: Health Score Rating.