Diet, body adiposity and cardiometabolic risk in a population sample of primary school children
Year: 2014
Type: dissertation
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: Overweight and cardiometabolic diseases are major health concerns worldwide.They often start to develop in early childhood.Early identification of risk factors for overweight and cardiometabolic diseases is crucial in order to develop prevention programmes targeted for risk groups.The aims of this doctoral thesis were to investigate dietary factors and to identify dietary determinants of excess body adiposity and cardiometabolic risk in a population sample of 512 Finnish girls and boys 6-8 years of age participating in the Physical Activity and Nutrition in Children (PANIC) Study.The number of meals per day, the consumption of food and the intakes of nutrients were assessed by 4-day food records.Five previously published dietary quality indices and a new index developed in the PANIC Study were calculated.Eating behaviour was assessed using the Children's Eating Behaviour Questionnaire.Overweight was defined using cutoffs for body mass index proposed by the International Obesity Task Force.Body fat percentage was measured by the dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry.Cardiometabolic risk was assessed by a continuous metabolic risk score computed using Z-scores of waist circumference, fasting serum insulin, fasting plasma glucose, triglycerides and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol and the mean of systolic and diastolic blood pressure.Less than half of children ate all three main meals (breakfast, lunch and dinner) every day.Instead, snacks were a major source of energy and sucrose.A minority of children consumed vegetables, fruit and berries as recommended.As many as a quarter of children consumed sugarsweetened beverages daily.The intakes of saturated fat, sucrose and salt were higher and the intakes of dietary fibre, vitamin D and iron were lower than recommended among children.Children with a lower socioeconomic position were less likely to eat as recommended than children with a higher socioeconomic position.Skipping main meals and a higher intake of protein were associated with an increased body adiposity in children.Of eating behaviour dimensions, a faster eating rate, a higher enjoyment of food, food responsiveness and emotional overeating and a lower satiety responsiveness were associated with a higher body adiposity.Skipping main meals was also associated with an increased cardiometabolic risk among children.Moreover, a higher consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages, red meat and low-fat vegetable oil-based margarine and a lower consumption of vegetable oil were related to a higher cardiometabolic risk.Particularly, a dietary quality index developed in the PANIC Study and based on the above-mentioned dietary factors combined with skipping main meals seemed to increase cardiometabolic risk in children.However, previously published dietary quality indices were not associated with cardiometabolic risk in children.In conclusion, the results of this doctoral thesis indicate that many components of diet are not at recommended levels among children.Dietary factors may be associated with an increased body adiposity and cardiometabolic risk already in childhood.
Author: Aino-Maija Eloranta
Language: English
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: green
Funder: Itä-Suomen Yliopisto
OpenAlex ID: W3142166097