Associations between dietary patterns and anaemia in 6- to 23-month-old infants in central South China

Abstract

Background Anaemia is prevalent in children. Therefore, this study examined the association between dietary patterns and anaemia among children in central South China. Methods Cross-sectional studies were conducted in Mayang, central South China, in 2015 and 2018. Diet data were collected using a questionnaire, and dietary patterns were identified via exploratory factor analysis. Haemoglobin was measured to assess anaemia status. Associations between dietary patterns and anaemia were assessed using a logistic regression model. Results The mean age of the infants surveyed was 14.06 months in 2015 and 16.58 months in 2018. Four dietary patterns were identified among infants aged 6–23 months: a diversified diet consisting mainly of tubers, dairy products, beans and bean products; a traditional diet consisting mainly of cereals, water, soup, vegetables and fruit; mainly breast milk, with a little powdered formula; or mainly multi-nutrient powders. The prevalence of anaemia in infants decreased from 29.49% in 2015 to 20.26% in 2018.In infants fed a diversified diet or multi-nutrient powders with top-quartile (Q4) scores, the risk of anaemia was reduced by 45%(adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 0.55, 95%CI0.30–0.99, P = 0.047) or 59% (AOR = 0.41, 95% CI0.22–0.78, P = 0.006), respectively, compared to infants in the lowest quartile (Q1). Infants fed mainly breast milk had a 3.26-fold greater risk of anaemia compared to those with Q1 scores (AOR = 3.26, 95% CI 1.83–5.81, P < 0.001). Conclusions Four dietary patterns were identified among infants aged 6–23 months in central South China. Infants should be fed a variety of food groups to improve their anaemia status.

The association between micronutrient powder delivery patterns and caregiver feeding behaviors in rural China

“…Similar to research in other LMICs, several studies have found high rates of child undernutrition in rural China [ 23 , 24 ]. In China, a middle-income country, there is a large and substantial number of undernourished children who live in rural areas.…”

“…Specifically, the findings indicate that Han caregivers typically have higher adherence to MNP than do minority groups, such as the Yi and Tibetan [ 32 – 34 ]. In rural Western China, ethnic groups have distinct food cultures and feeding practices, in addition to different lifestyles [ 24 , 28 , 35 ], that may influence how caregivers access MNP and how they feed MNP to their children. To the best of our knowledge, no study has examined the association between MNP implementation success/failure and the delivery patterns and feeding behaviors of MNP across different ethnic groups in China.…”

Systematic Literature Review of the Nutrient Status, Intake, and Diet Quality of Chinese Children across Different Age Groups

“…Anemia prevalence in 0–18-year-old children from China in national [ 30 , 31 , 47 ] and subnational studies (mostly covering the western region) ranged from 2.7 to 86%, and ID prevalence ranged from 7.3% to 62% [ 50 , 52 , 55 , 56 , 57 , 60 , 61 , 64 , 65 , 67 , 68 , 75 , 87 , 95 , 97 , 102 , 103 , 105 ]. The prevalence of anemia in children decreased with age ( Table 4 ).…”

Docosahexaenoic Acid as the Bidirectional Biomarker of Dietary and Metabolic Risk Patterns in Chinese Children: A Comparison with Plasma and Erythrocyte

“…The beverage and snack pattern is characterized by high intakes of beverages and snacks, which may increase metabolic risk (e.g., obesity [ 44 ]). Our previous studies reported that the dietary pattern represents the overall diet intake [ 45 , 46 ]. These results implied that plasma DHA may become a biomarker to evaluate the recent quality of comprehensive diet intake.…”