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Tracking dietary intake in white and Mexican-American children from age 4 to 12 years
Michelle Murphy Zive1, Charles C Berry, James F Sallis
1Community Pediatrics Division, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla 92093-0927, USA.
Insights
Childhood dietary intake, including energy, fat, and sodium, shows stability in early years but less so over longer periods. Nutrition interventions are crucial throughout childhood and adolescence.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Nutrition
- Nutritional Epidemiology
- Growth and Development
Background:
- Dietary habits established in childhood can influence long-term health outcomes.
- Understanding the stability of dietary intake over time is crucial for effective public health interventions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the tracking, or stability over time, of dietary intake in Mexican-American and white children.
- To analyze the stability of energy, percent of energy from fat, and sodium intake from ages 4 to 12 years.
Main Methods:
- Longitudinal study of 351 children from age 4, with 65% completing the 8-year follow-up.
- Dietary intake assessed using modified 24-hour recalls (ages 4-7) and standardized 24-hour recalls (ages 11-12).
- Mixed effects models used to differentiate short-term variations from stable between-subject variations in diet.
Main Results:
- Significant between-subject variance components for energy, percent of energy from fat, and sodium per 1,000 kcal were observed from ages 4 to 7.
- Energy intake remained significant at ages 11-12, but no significant associations were found for overall dietary intake from age 4 to 12.
- Dietary intake appears more stable in shorter periods and at younger ages compared to longer intervals and older ages.
Conclusions:
- Childhood dietary intake exhibits limited tracking over extended periods, suggesting a need for ongoing nutritional guidance.
- Interventions targeting healthy eating habits are recommended during childhood and adolescence to promote long-term health.
- Findings highlight the dynamic nature of children's diets and the importance of sustained nutritional support.
Objective:
To examine the tracking (ie, the stability over time) of dietary intake in Mexican-American and white children aged 4 to 12 years.
Subjects:
Children 4 years of age (n=351) were assessed at baseline and 65% (n=228) completed the 8-year study.
Design:
Cardiovascular disease-related dietary intake was defined as energy, percent of energy from fat, and sodium (mg/1,000 kcal). From age 4 to 7 years, a modified 24-hour recall with observation of lunch and dinner and interview of the primary food preparer for unobserved foods was used to describe dietary intake. For children aged 11 to 12 years, a standardized 24-hour recall was used.
Statistical Analyses:
A mixed effects model that adjusted for sex, ethnicity, and measurement wave allowed for separation of shorter-term variations in diet from more stable ("between subject") variations. Extent of between-subject variance is an indication of tracking.
Results:
From age 4 to age 7, there were statistically significant between-subject variance components for energy (P<.00001), percent of energy from fat (P<.00001), and sodium per 1,000 kcals (P<.001); for ages 11 and 12, energy intake was significant (P<.00001). There were no significant associations for dietary intake from age 4 to 12 years.
Conclusions/Applications:
It seems that dietary intakes are stable over short periods and at earlier ages compared with longer intervals and later ages. Nutrition interventions are needed in childhood and throughout adolescence.