Dietary patterns in chi ldren
The rising prevalence of overweight and (severe) obesity
among young children remains a major societal problem. Overweight an
d obesity are more common in children of non-Dutch descent and with a
lower socioeconomic status (SEP). A healthy diet contributes to heal
thy weight development in childhood and a healthy weight in adulthood
. However, little is known about ethnic and socioeconomic differences
in children's diets and how these diets influence body weight and bo
dy composition later in life. Therefore, Viyan Rashid investigated:1. Which dietary patterns can be defined in 5-year-old children usi
ng different dietary pattern definition methods?
2. Are certain di
etary patterns more common in children of a certain ethnic or socioec
onomic background?
3. To what extent are the defined dietary patte
rns associated with BMI and body composition later in life?
Five-y
ear-old children in our cohort consume dietary patterns that can be l
abeled as healthy, unhealthy, traditional, and a pattern in which the
intake of whole and low-fat food groups was relevant. Nutritional in
take is suboptimal, and only whole-grain products meet current dietar
y guidelines.
Children of non-Dutch descent, with less educated mothers and fathers, from families with lower household finances, an d from neighborhoods with a lower socioeconomic status (SES) are more likely to consume unhealthy diets. The mother's education level was the strongest socioeconomic predictor of unhealthy diets.
Viyan
Rashid observed contradictory and unexpected associations between di
etary patterns and BMI and body composition later in life. Surprising
ly, a high score for a healthy diet or a diet with a high intake of l
ow-fat and healthy foods led to higher weight gain in most groups, wh
ile a high score for a high-fat diet led to lower weight gain.
It
is important that public health continues to focus on healthy weight
and weight gain, particularly for children of non-Dutch descent and/o
r a lower socioeconomic status, to prevent overweight and obesity.
The suboptimal nutritional intake in our cohort argues for change s in children's current food environment. We found that all socioecon omic factors, including neighborhood socioeconomic status, influence unhealthy snacking patterns (intake of both savory and sweet snacks). And an unfavorable financial situation can override the influence of the mother's education level. Children with a non-Dutch background a nd/or lower socioeconomic status are more likely to live in neighborh oods with a lower socioeconomic status, where there is greater access to fast food and advertisements for unhealthy foods.
This stud y also demonstrates the relevance of further research to explore the association between healthy, high-fat, and low-fat diets and weight g ain.
More information on the thesis
DESCRIPTION: The rising prevalence of overweight and (severe) obesity among young children remains a major societal problem. Overweight and obesity are more common in children of non-Dutch descent and with a lower socioeconomic status (SEP). A healthy diet contributes to healt hy weight development in childhood and a healthy weight in adulthood. However, little is known about ethnic and socioeconomic differences in children's diets and how these diets influence body weight and bod y composition later in life. Therefore, Viyan Rashid investigated: