We observed associations between intake of sweet drinks and soft drinks and change in skin-fold thickness in a group of Danish children. However, as the associations did not remain significant when multiple testing was considered or was only significant among children from the intervention group, the results do not confirm or refute the direct association reported in previous studies.

Abstract

Dietary intake among Danish children, in general, does not comply with the official recommendations. The objectives of the present study were to evaluate the 3-year effect of a multi-component school-based intervention on nutrient intake in children, and to examine whether an intervention effect depended on maternal education level. A total of 307 children (intervention group: n 184; comparison group: n 123) were included in the present study. All had information on dietary intake pre-and post-intervention (mean age 6·8 and 9·5 years for intervention and comparison groups, respectively) assessed by a 7-d food record. Analyses were conducted based on the daily intake of macronutrients (energy percentage (E%)), fatty acids (E%), added sugar (E%) and dietary fibre (g/d and g/MJ). Analyses were stratified by maternal education level into three categories. Changes in nutrient intake were observed in the intervention group, mainly among children of mothers with a short education (,10 years). Here, intake of dietary fibre increased (b ¼ 2·1 g/d, 95 % CI 0·5, 3·6, P¼ 0·01). Intake of protein tended to increase (b ¼ 0·6 E%, 95 % CI 2 0·01, 1·2, P¼0·05), while intake of fat (b ¼ 2 1·7 E%, 95 % CI 23·8, 0·3, P¼ 0·09) and SFA (b ¼ 2 0·9, 95 % CI 22·0, 0·2, P¼ 0·10) tended to decrease. Also, a significant intervention effect was observed on the intake of SFA among children of mothers with a long education (b ¼ 20·8, 95 % CI 21·5, 20·03, P¼ 0·04). This multi-component school-based intervention resulted in changes in the dietary intake, particularly among children of mothers with a short education. As the dietary intake of this subgroup generally differs most from the recommendations, the results of the present study are particularly encouraging.

The diet of Danish children is often not in accordance with dietary guidelines. We aimed to evaluate changes in the intake of selected foods and beverages during a multi-component school-based physical activity intervention, and to investigate if changes were modified by socioeconomic status (SES). The study included 307 children (intervention group: 184; comparison group: 123) with information on dietary intake pre- and post-intervention as well as on SES. Linear regression models were conducted to assess the effect of the intervention on changes in dietary factors. Children from the intervention group increased their intake of whole-grain bread during the intervention (group means: 6.1 g/d (95% CI: 2.2 to 10.0) vs. 0.3 g/d (95% CI: −3.1 to 3.7) in the comparison group, p = 0.04). A significant interaction between SES and group allocation was observed to change in fruit intake (p = 0.01). Among children from low SES families, only those from the comparison group decreased their fruit intake (group means: −40.0 g/d (95% CI: −56.0 to −23.9) vs. 9.3 g/d (95% CI: −16.1 to 94) in the intervention group, p = 0.006). The present study found no convincing effect of introducing a multi-component intervention on dietary intake except a small beneficial effect on whole-grain bread consumption. However, beneficial intervention effects in fruit intake were found particularly among children from low SES families.