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Adherence to dietary guidelines associated with lower medical service utilization in preschoolers: a longitudinal
Yi-Chieh Chen1,2, Yuan-Ting C Lo3, Hsin-Yun Wu1
1Department of Nutrition, China Medical University, No. 100, Sec. 1, Jingmao Rd., Beitun District, Taichung, 406040, Taiwan.
Insights
Adhering to Taiwanese dietary guidelines is linked to fewer medical visits for preschoolers. Better nutrition means less healthcare use, saving costs for families and the healthcare system.
Area of Science:
- Nutrition Science
- Public Health
- Pediatrics
Background:
- Dietary guideline adherence is crucial for child health.
- Understanding the link between diet and healthcare utilization in children is important for public health policy.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the association between adherence to dietary guidelines and medical service utilization in Taiwanese preschoolers.
- To determine if better dietary intake reduces overall, outpatient, and emergency medical visits.
Main Methods:
- Utilized data from 614 preschoolers (2-6 years) from the 2013-2016 Nutrition and Health Survey in Taiwan.
- Developed the Taiwanese Children Healthy Eating Index (TCHEI) to assess dietary adequacy and eating behavior.
- Analyzed medical service utilization data (2013-2018) using multivariable generalized linear models.
Main Results:
- Preschoolers with higher TCHEI scores showed significantly lower overall, outpatient, and emergency medical visits for all and respiratory diseases.
- Children aged 2-3 in higher TCHEI tertiles had 16-25% fewer medical visits.
- Children aged 4-6 in the T2 TCHEI group had 11-15% fewer visits for respiratory diseases and overall.
Conclusions:
- Higher adherence to Taiwanese dietary guidelines, as measured by TCHEI, is associated with reduced medical service utilization in preschoolers.
- Optimal dietary intake in early childhood may lead to lower healthcare costs and improved public health outcomes.
Objective:
We aimed to evaluate the association between dietary guideline adherence and overall, outpatient, and emergency medical service utilization in Taiwanese preschoolers.
Methods:
We selected 614 preschoolers (2-6 years) who had one day of 24-h dietary recall data from the 2013-2016 Nutrition and Health Survey in Taiwan. The Taiwanese Children Healthy Eating Index (TCHEI) was developed on the basis of Taiwanese Food-Based Dietary Guidelines; it assesses dietary adequacy and eating behavior. Data on the participants' outpatient and emergency medical service utilization were obtained for 2013-2018 from the National Health Insurance Research Database. A multivariable generalized linear model was used to evaluate the association between the TCHEI and medical service utilization for all disease and respiratory diseases.
Results:
After adjustment for confounding factors, children aged 2-3 years in the Tertile (T) 2 and T3 groups of the TCHEI exhibited 25% (95% CI 0.69-0.83) and 16% (95% CI 0.77-0.92) lower overall medical visits, respectively. The same pattern was noted in the outpatient and emergency visits for all diseases and respiratory diseases. The children aged 4-6 years in the T2 group exhibited 15% (95% CI 0.80-0.91) and 11% (95% CI 0.82-0.97) lower overall visits and visits for respiratory diseases, respectively. Moreover, preschoolers in the T2 group exhibited lower overall medical expenditures than did those in the T1 group.
Conclusions:
TCHEI score was positively correlated with better nutritional status. Optimal dietary intake associated with lower medical service utilization among Taiwan preschoolers.
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