Prospective associations between socio-economic status and dietary patterns in European children: the Identification and Prevention of Dietary- and Lifestyle-induced Health Effects in Children and Infants (IDEFICS) Study

Abstract

Exploring changes in children's diet over time and the relationship between these changes and socio-economic status (SES) may help to understand the impact of social inequalities on dietary patterns. The aim of the present study was to describe dietary patterns by applying a cluster analysis to 9301 children participating in the baseline (2 -9 years old) and follow-up (4-11 years old) surveys of the Identification and Prevention of Dietary-and Lifestyle-induced Health Effects in Children and Infants Study, and to describe the cluster memberships of these children over time and their association with SES. We applied the K-means clustering algorithm based on the similarities between the relative frequencies of consumption of forty-two food items. The following three consistent clusters were obtained at baseline and follow-up: processed (higher frequency of consumption of snacks and fast food); sweet (higher frequency of consumption of sweet foods and sweetened drinks); healthy (higher frequency of consumption of fruits, vegetables and wholemeal products). Children with higher-educated mothers and fathers and the highest household income were more likely to be allocated to the healthy cluster at baseline and follow-up and less likely to be allocated to the sweet cluster. Migrants were more likely to be allocated to the processed cluster at baseline and follow-up. Applying the cluster analysis to derive dietary patterns at the two time points allowed us to identify groups of children from a lower socio-economic background presenting persistently unhealthier dietary profiles. This finding reflects the need for healthy eating interventions specifically targeting children from lower socio-economic backgrounds.

Dietary patterns of early childhood and maternal socioeconomic status in a unique prospective sample from a randomized controlled trial of Prenatal DHA Supplementation

“…We found that daily food and drink intake is relatively stable across the ages of 2 to 4.5 years, in general agreement with data from longitudinal studies conducted in Europe [10, 14]. However, it was concerning that the young children mostly added energy-dense foods of low nutritional value (refined grains, discretionary fat and condiments, and desserts and sweets) as they grew older.…”

“…SES is a multidimensional construct that conveys relative wealth, power, and prestige, and it is influenced by race, ethnicity, parental education, occupation, and income. It is also a strong determinant of health [7] and has been repeatedly linked to diet quality [8–14]. Importantly, the association between SES and a health outcome can differ depending on how SES is measured [15].…”

Maternal educational level and socioeconomic status as related to the nutritional status of preschool children attending day-care centers

“…Sobre las alteraciones nutricionales que pudieran presentarse en menores de 5 años, influyen varios factores, entre ellos, el nivel de educación de los progenitores especialmente de la madre, y el estrato (5,9) socioeconómico . Al comparar los promedios de los años de estudios de la madre según el estado nutricional de sus hijos/as, no se encontraron diferencias significativas entre los grupos de madres con mayor o menor tiempo de asistencia a alguna institución de enseñanza.…”

Absolute rather than relative income is a better socioeconomic predictor of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in Swedish adults

“…In turn, decreased pulmonary reserve capacity might then predispose an individual to COPD later in life [19]. Sociological mechanisms in adulthood may promote smoking habits [20], low physical activity, and inappropriate nutrition [21] in people with low SEP. These factors alone or in combination with harmful occupational exposures [22], air pollution [23, 24], and reduced access to appropriate health care and medication may also increase risk of developing COPD in people with low SEP [2].…”