Dietary patterns with special reference to calcium intake in 2-16-year-old Urban Western Indian children

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Nutrition
• Dietary Pattern Analysis
• Public Health

Background:

• Establishing optimal dietary practices in childhood is crucial for lifelong calcium intake.
• Adequate calcium consumption during formative years can mitigate the risk of osteoporotic fractures later in life.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the dietary patterns of children aged 2-16 years, focusing on calcium intake.
• To propose strategies and create suitable recipes for enhancing dietary calcium in children based on identified patterns.

Main Methods:

• A study involving 220 schoolchildren (aged 2-16 years) in Pune, India, conducted between June 2013 and July 2014.
• Dietary intake was assessed using 24-hour recalls over three non-consecutive days, with dietary patterns identified through cluster analysis in two age groups.
• Calcium-rich recipes were developed tailored to the identified dietary patterns.

Main Results:

• Identified dietary patterns included 'rice-pulse' (RP) and 'wheat, milk, and milk products' (WM) in children, and RP, 'wheat, milk, and bakery' (WMB), and 'mixed food' in adolescents.
• Children following WM and WMB patterns exhibited significantly higher calcium intake compared to other patterns (P < 0.05).
• Overall daily calcium intake was 53% of the recommended dietary allowance, with milk contributing 30%; developed recipes provided an average of 254 mg calcium per serving.

Conclusions:

• Cereal-pulse-based dietary patterns were prevalent among the studied children.
• Integrating calcium-rich foods into existing dietary patterns offers a sustainable approach to increasing dietary calcium content.