Data-Driven Dietary Patterns, Nutrient Intake and Body Weight Status in a Cross-Section of Singaporean Children Aged 6–12 Years

Abstract

Pattern analysis of children’s diet may provide insights into chronic disease risk in adolescence and adulthood. This study aimed to assess dietary patterns of young Singaporean children using cluster analysis. An existing dataset included 15,820 items consumed by 561 participants (aged 6–12 years) over 2 days of dietary recall. Thirty-seven food groups were defined and expressed as a percentage contribution of total energy. Dietary patterns were identified using k-means cluster analysis. Three clusters were identified, “Western”, “Convenience” and “Local/hawker”, none of which were defined by more prudent dietary choices. The “Convenience” cluster group had the lowest total energy intake (mean 85.8 ± SD 25.3% of Average Requirement for Energy) compared to the other groups (95.4 ± 25.9% for “Western” and 93.4 ± 25.3% for “Local/hawker”, p < 0.001) but also had the lowest calcium intake (66.3 ± 34.7% of Recommended Dietary Allowance), similar to intake in the “Local/hawker” group (69.5 ± 38.9%) but less than the “Western” group (82.8 ± 36.1%, p < 0.001). These findings highlight the need for longitudinal analysis of dietary habit in younger Singaporeans in order to better define public health messaging targeted at reducing risk of major noncommunicable disease.

Ultra-processed food consumption and children and adolescents’ health

“…These results reaffirm the importance of carrying out interventions to address the problem of overweight and obesity at the local level. Choy et al 19 (2021) Cross-sectional 561 children from Singapore aged 6 to 12 years in 2016 To analyze dietary patterns, estimated nutrient provision and association between BMI and demographic factors. Three dietary patterns were identified among the participants according to data from the 24HR.…”

“…This review included studies that share the objective of analyzing and discussing the effects of dietary patterns and the relationship with chronic NCDs in children and adolescents. 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 …”

The Potential of Condiments, Seasonings, and Bouillon Cubes to Deliver Essential Micronutrients in Asia: Scenario Analyses of Iodine and Iron Fortification

“…Because of unclear descriptions and unclarity about the composition of the products in categories defined as ‘other cooking aids’ category, we excluded the studies only reporting on this category. An overview of the 18 included studies and relevant characteristics is provided in Supplementary Table S1 [ 17 , 22 , 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 , 29 , 30 , 31 , 32 , 33 , 34 , 35 , 36 , 37 , 38 , 39 ]. Studies used different methods for data collection, e.g., food frequency questionnaires, (24 h) recalls, food weighing records, and interviews.…”

Dietary patterns and child, parental, and societal factors associated with being overweight and obesity in Vietnamese children living in Ho Chi Minh city

“…Few Asian countries have explored dietary patterns in schoolaged children and their association with overweight and obesity, with most studies in the region originating from China (Choy et al, 2021).…”

“…Few Asian countries have explored dietary patterns in school‐aged children and their association with overweight and obesity, with most studies in the region originating from China (Choy et al, 2021 ). Among Chinese school‐aged children, specific dietary patterns such as traditional North or modern pattern were associated with risk of obesity (Zhang et al, 2015 ; Zhen, 2018 ).…”