Changes in Dietary Patterns from Childhood to Adolescence and Associated Body Adiposity Status

Abstract

The aims of this study were to identify cross-sectional dietary patterns (DPs) in a representative sample of 7–10-year-old schoolchildren, to examine how scores for these DPs tracked over a time period of five years (from age 7–10 years to 12–15 years), and to investigate longitudinal associations between changes in DPs scores and changes in BMI (Body Mass Index) z-scores. Children aged 7–10-years were examined in 2007 (n = 1158) and a subset of the sample participated in a follow-up in 2012 (n = 458). Factor analysis (FA) was applied to derive DPs at baseline. The change in DP from childhood to adolescence was analyzed by comparing factor scores using the complete cases, in which factor loadings were the ones evaluated at baseline. Associations of BMI change with DP change were assessed by multivariate linear regression. At baseline, four DP were identified that explained 47.9% of the food intake variance. On average, the factor scores of “DP II” (salty snacks, French fries, fast-food, sugary beverages) decreased in follow-up, while no changes were observed for “DP I” (rice, cooked beans, beef/poultry, leafy vegetables), “DP III” (fruits, cooked and leafy vegetables, fruit juices, pasta, milk, cheese), and “DP IV” (milk, coffee with milk, cheese, breads/biscuits). No significant linear association was shown between changes in BMI z-scores and changes in DP scores from childhood to adolescence. In conclusion, three out of four DP scores identified at baseline tracked slightly in adolescence.

Trends in food consumption of schoolchildren from 2nd to 5th grade: a panel data analysis

“…For statistical analysis, 704 students were excluded because they had a total frequency of consumption equal to or less than three food items, or greater than three standard deviations times the square root of the mean [7]. To describe the qualitative variables, the absolute and relative frequency were used, and Pearson's Chi-Square test was applied to verify differences between different years.…”

“…Cross-sectional studies conducted with Brazilian children have identified dietary patterns composed of traditional foods consumed in Brazil (rice, beans, flour, tubers, cereals, meat, fruits, vegetables and legumes) and patterns with the presence of sweets, sandwich cookies, chips, snacks, soft drinks and fast food [7,8]. The stability of consumption of traditional foods in the Brazilian diet, from childhood to adolescence was observed in a longitudinal study conducted with schoolchildren from the city of Florianópolis, Brazil, between 2007 and 2012 [7].…”

Empirically derived dietary patterns through latent profile analysis among Brazilian children and adolescents from Southern Brazil, 2013-2015

“…Previous studies examining DPs in children and adolescents have used factor analysis, principal component analysis, cluster analysis or reduced rank regression [12,13,17–21,43,44]. We used LPA to identify unobserved homogenous groups based on dietary intake for a wide range of foods and beverages.…”

“…In addition, the closed list of activities simplifies the task of recall by prompting only the relevant types of PA performed on the previous day, and keeps the questionnaire relatively brief and easy to complete. Also, food consumption questionnaires based on one 24 h recall [14,21,64,65] or one day record [44,66] have all been used to determine empirical dietary patterns for children and adolescents. We also acknowledged that only one measurement of body weight and height was taken per child or adolescent, although trained researchers performed the measures.…”

“…Although DPs have been identified in cross-sectional studies in Brazilian children and adolescents [14,17–20], few studies assessed how the patterns change with time [11,21]. None of them used data from a nutritional surveillance system.…”