Dietary habits and health risks in Swedish children

Childhood dietary habits associated with short- or long-term health risks have been studied cross-sectionally in 738 Swedish children aged 4, 8 and 13 years. Dietary information was obtained from 7-d records in the 4- and 8-year-old groups and from dietary history interviews in the 13-year-old group. The dietary intake of sodium, fats and energy as well as the dietary habits of overweight and normal-weight children were analysed. The probability of a high diastolic pressure increased with sodium intake and relative weight-for-height in the 8-year-old group. The fat intake was characterized by a high intake of cholesterol and saturated fatty acids and a relatively low P/S (polyunsaturated/saturated fatty acids) ratio. The overall prevalence of overweight (weight-for-height 110.0 to 119.9 per cent of standard) was 11 per cent. The prevalence of obesity (greater than or equal to 120 per cent) was 5 per cent in the 4-year-old group, 3 percent in the 8-year-old group and 11 per cent in the 13-year-old group and also varied with socioeconomic group. The overweight children had an energy intake which, in absolute figures, was equal to that of the normal-weight children. The high prevalence of some of the health-risk-related dietary habits calls for a population approach to prevention.