Bioavailability of Australian pre-schooler iron intakes at specific eating occasions is low.

Purpose: Poor bioavailability may contribute to iron deficiency among children in high-resource countries, but iron bioavailability of Australian pre-schooler diets is unknown. This study aimed to estimate the bioavailability of Australian pre-schooler iron intakes across the day and by eating occasions to identify optimal timing for intervention, by using five previously developed algorithms, and to estimate the proportion of children with intakes of absorbable iron below the requirements.

Methods: Dietary data of children aged 2 to < 6 y (n = 812) from the 2011-12 National Nutrition and Physical Activity Survey were collected via two 24-h recalls.