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Identifying patterns of lifestyle behaviours among children of 3 years old

Lu Wang1, Wilma Jansen1,2, Amy van Grieken1

  • 1Department of Public Health, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.

European Journal of Public Health
|July 13, 2020
PubMed

Insights

Three distinct childhood lifestyle patterns were identified in 3-year-olds. Unhealthy patterns were linked to lower maternal education, permissive parenting, and being male, but not to BMI z-score.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric lifestyle behaviors
  • Childhood obesity risk factors
  • Early childhood development

Background:

  • Understanding lifestyle patterns in early childhood is crucial for identifying potential health risks.
  • Parental and child characteristics may influence these early lifestyle behaviors.
  • The association between lifestyle patterns and child Body Mass Index (BMI) at age 3 requires investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To identify distinct lifestyle behavior patterns in 3-year-old children.
  • To investigate parental and child factors associated with these lifestyle patterns.
  • To examine the relationship between identified lifestyle patterns and child BMI and weight status.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized cross-sectional data from 2090 Dutch children aged 3 years (BeeBOFT study).
  • Assessed child dietary intake, screen time, and physical activity via parental questionnaires.
  • Employed latent class analysis to identify lifestyle behavior patterns.

Main Results:

  • Identified three lifestyle patterns: 'unhealthy lifestyle' (36%), 'low snacking and low screen time' (48%), and 'active, high fruit/vegetable, high snacking, high screen time' (16%).
  • Children with low maternal education, permissive parenting, and boys were more likely in unhealthy or highly active/snacking/screen time patterns.
  • No significant association was found between identified lifestyle patterns and child BMI z-score at age 3.

Conclusions:

  • Three distinct lifestyle patterns emerge in 3-year-old children.
  • Maternal education, parenting style (permissive), and child's gender are associated with unhealthy lifestyle patterns.
  • Early lifestyle patterns at age 3 did not correlate with BMI z-score in this cohort.
Abstract

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