Relationship between Coarse Cereals Consumption and Body Fat Percentage among Chinese School-aged Children

The rising prevalence of childhood obesity is closely associated with suboptimal dietary patterns. To address this public health concern, we conducted a comprehensive study to examine the association between coarse cereals consumption and body fat percentage (BFP) in Chinese children and adolescents.

The study included 48,305 children aged 6-17 years from 28 districts/counties in 14 provinces across seven regions of China (24,152 girls and 24,153 boys). BFP was examined using bioelectrical impedance analysis in the early morning. Coarse cereals consumption was assessed using a Food Frequency Questionnaire and categorized into three groups: 0 g/1,000 kcal per day, 0-10 g/1,000 kcal per day, and > 10 g/1,000 kcal per day (daily consumption of coarse cereals × 1,000/total energy consumption). Quantile regression model was used to analyze the association between coarse cereals and BFP, adjusting for potential confounders such as age, pubertal development stage, urban/rural and regional factors, total daily dietary energy consumption, sedentary time, moderate-to-high physical activity, household income, parental education, and consumption of other foods.

Boys aged 6-10, 11-14, and 15-17 years had median daily coarse cereals consumptions of 6.6 g, 7.1 g, and 5.7 g, with BFP of 19.6%, 19.5%, and 17.5% (all P < 0.05). Girls in the same age groups showed consumption of 7.1 g, 8.4 g, and 6.7 g, with BFP of 20.3%, 26.4%, and 31.0% (all P < 0.05). The quantile regression results for boys showed that daily consumption of coarse cereals was significantly correlated with their BFP in the 0.15, 0.25, and 0.50 quartiles, with regression coefficients of -0.257, -0.221, and -0.330, respectively, after adjusting for potential confounders ( P < 0.05). For girls, there was a significant correlation with PBF at the 0.05, 0.15, 0.25, 0.50, 0.75, and 0.85 quartiles, with regression coefficients of -0.258, -0.366, -0.372, -0.431, -0.472, and -0.503 ( P < 0.05 for all).

Coarse cereals consumption among Chinese children and adolescents remains relatively low. Higher consumption was inversely associated with BFP in children aged 6-17 years. Future interventional studies should assess how increased coarse cereals consumption prevents childhood obesity.