Table 3. Comparison of the average adult diet model for the Northern Marshall Islands with the average adult diet for the United States and for Japan. Average adult diet model for the Northern Marshall Islands Imports available Food intake, g/d Fluid intake, g/d 1450 2326 Imports unavailable Average adult diet for the United States Yang and Abraham Nelson, et al., 1979 Rupp, 900 1986 1980 1066 for Japan Japan's Hisamatsu Ministry of et al., 1987 FHealtha — 1232 1253 1352 — _ — 758 1526 —_ kcal/d 3231 1256 4 Reported by Hisamatsuet al. (1987). 1853 1925 Caloric intake, Average adult diet 1351 — — b Milk is listed under both food and fluid intake. supporting atoll-specific data are unavailable. 3. There is still some uncertainty about what the average diet really is at any atoll. 4. Many factors can affect the average diet Over any specific year. 9. Further atoll-specific dietary data are needed to improve the precision of the dose assessment for each resettlement situation. 6. Even thoughthere is some uncertainty in the precise adult diet at an atoll, the relative difference in average intake between adults and infants and children are consistent between the two surveys (Robison et al., 1980; Naidu et al., 1980). ~ Teenage (12 to 17 y) The average total daily intake of food for this age is very similar to that of adults. Although the average intake is somewhat less than for adults, some individuals at the older cy Cry cl) end of the age group may well exceed the average adult intake (Robisonet al., 1980). Children (4 to 11 y) At this age, the children are essentially on a diet similar to that of the adults. The intake of drinking coconutfluid and coconut milk may approach that for adults, but diet surveys indicate it to be less (Robison et al., 1980; Naidu et al., 1980}. Consumption of other food products, both local and imported, is less than that of adults (Robison et al., 1980; Naidu et al., 1980). Children (1.5 to 3 y) At about 1.5 y, children are weaned from breast- or bottle-feeding with mixtures of soft rice and tea, or flour boiled in water and mixed with tea, and/or foods cooked for longer periods of time to make them softer in texture (Marsh, 1973; Pollock, 1974). Flaherty (1988) mentions that rice or flour-tea mixtures are preferred even _ if local dishes such as Pandanus pudding and breadfruit soup are available. This weaning leads to a diet by about age 2 that is similar in composition to the adult diet, but with total intake being significantly less than that for teenagers or adults (Robison et al., 1980, 1982a;