TEN-STATE Nutrition Survey 1968-1970 - highlights and conclusions

Sep 21, 2026

Uploaded by Noah

TEN-STATE Nutrition Survey 1968-1970 highlights and conclusions summarize the largest U.S. nutrition survey ever conducted, carried out between 1968 and 1970. The material presents key nutritional problems shown graphically, and provides an overview of the detailed findings across five volumes. It explains the 1967 congressional impetus, the selection of ten states and low-income enumeration districts, sampling and representativeness limits, and the clinical and biochemical evaluation of nearly 30,000 families, including high-risk subgroups.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages20

Reading Time50 min

AccessFree to download

TEN-STATE Nutrition Survey 1968-1970

Background

Survey design and state selection

Sampling and representativeness

Protocol and survey teams

Participants and clinical evaluation

Age and population composition

Income measurement (PIR)

TX360. .U5351972 HIGHLIGHTSv.6 TEN-STATENutrition Survey1968-1970U.S,DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH,EDUCATION,AND WELFAREHEALTH SERVICES AND MENTAL HEALTH ADMINISTRATION 4管 HIGHLIGHTS te1thSrvice 7Mentaledl+ N十₁oP1。 # TEN-STATENutrition Survey1968-1970 535 972 V.6 The following material represents the highlights and conclusions of the Ten-State Nutrition Survey,conducted between 1968 and 1970.This is the largestnutrition survey ever conducted in the United States.The results presented hereare a summary of the detailed data in the five volumes that comprise the full report. A summary of the most important nutritional problems found by the surveyis presented graphically on pages 4 and 5. BACKGROUND Congressional hearings early in 1967 dramatized the probability that serioushunger and malnutrition existed in the United States.Later that year,Congressdirected the Department of Health,Education,and Welfare to determine the magni-tude and location of malnutrition and related health problems in this country.Atthat time,because no such data were available,the Department gave the NutritionProgram the responsibility for carrying out a survey. A series of ad hoc committees were organized by Dr.Arnold Schaefer,Chiefof the Nutrition Program,to develop an over-all plan for conducting such a survey.These committees recommended that emphasis be placed on obtaining informationfrom the low-income segment of the population,since it was here that malnutritionwas expected to be most prevalent. Because of constraints of time and money,the survey was limited to ten states:Washington,California,Texas,Louisiana.South Carolina,Kentucky,West Virginia,Michigan,Massachusetts,and New York(including a separate survey of New YorkCity).In choosing the survey states,the Program staff considered both the pre-established criteria for selection and a state's supply of trained manpower and otheravailable resources. Within each state.the enumeration districts with the lowest average income(lowest quartile)according to the 1960 Census were identified.An appropriatesampling procedure was used to select the desired number of families from theseenumeration districts. Although the primary interest in each state was malnutrition among the poor,the population sampled did not include all of this lower income group within astate,nor was it restricted to only the poor.The income characteristics of some ofthese districts had changed since 1960,and some middle-and upper-income families resided within districts having a low average income.The sampling procedure is be-lieved to have yielded a representative sample of the low-income families,but thosewith higher incomes living within these areas,and who were included in the sample,might have special characteristics and not be representative of the middle-and high-income population.Therefore the population studied was not representative of theentire population within a country or state,and the survey findings cannot beextrapolated and applied to the overall population of states from which sampleswere drawn. A common protocol,including standards and guidelines for the evaluation ofthe biochemical and dietary data,was developed by the Nutrition Program in con-sultation with various expert committees.In each state a group was identified-thestate health department,or a university medical school department -who recruiteda survey team and conducted the survey.The Nutrition Program provided consulta-tion,technical assistance,monitoring,and analysis of data. Almost 30,000 families were identified by the sampling procedure.Demo-graphic data were obtained on 24,000 families containing over 86,000 persons.In-cluded in this group are some"volunteers,"persons not included in the preselectedsample.Further evaluation indicated that the volunteers did not differ in demo-graphic characteristics from sample individuals. All individuals were invited to participate i

FAQs

What prompted the Ten-State Nutrition Survey (1968-1970)?

Congressional hearings in early 1967 highlighted the probability of serious hunger and malnutrition in the United States. Congress directed the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare to determine the magnitude and location of malnutrition and related health problems.

Why were the survey states and sampling areas limited to ten states and low-income districts?

Because of constraints of time and money, the survey was limited to ten states. Program staff selected states using criteria for selection and the availability of trained manpower and resources, and identified enumeration districts with the lowest average income for sampling.

What did the clinical evaluation and data collection include?

Participants were invited to a clinical evaluation that included medical history, physical examination, anthropometric measurements, wrist X-ray examination, dental examination, and blood collection for hemoglobin and hematocrit determinations.

Sep 21, 2026

Uploaded by Noah