Associations between dietary patterns, eating behaviours, and body composition and adiposity in 3-year-old children of mothers with obesity.
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Key Findings
Abstract
BACKGROUND: The relationships between eating habits, behaviours, and the development of obesity in preschool children is not well established. OBJECTIVE: As children of mothers with obesity are themselves at risk of obesity, we examined these relationships in a cohort of 482 three-year-old children of mothers with obesity from the UK Pregnancy Better Eating and Activity Trial (UPBEAT). METHOD: Dietary patterns were derived using factor analysis of an 85-item food frequency questionnaire (FFQ). Eating behaviours were assessed using the Children's Eating Behaviour Questionnaire (CEBQ). Measures of body composition included age-specific BMI cut-offs, WHO z scores, sum of skinfolds, waist and arm circumferences, and body fat percentage. Using adjusted regression analysis, we examined associations between dietary patterns, eating behaviours, and measures of body composition. RESULTS: Three distinct dietary patterns were defined: "healthy/prudent," "African/Caribbean," and "processed/snacking." The "processed/snacking" pattern was associated with greater odds of obesity; OR 1.53 (95% CI, 1.07-2.19). The "African/Caribbean" and the "healthy/prudent" patterns were associated with a lower arm circumference (β = -0.23 cm [-0.45 to -0.01]) and sum of skinfolds (β = -1.36 cm [-2.88 to -0.37]), respectively. Lower enjoyment of food and food responsiveness, and greater slowness in eating and satiety, were associated with lower arm and waist circumferences, WHO z scores, and obesity (all P < .05). CONCLUSION: In children of mothers with obesity, those who had higher scores on a "processed/snacking" dietary pattern had greater odds of obesity. In contrast, slowness in eating was associated with lower measures of body composition. These novel findings highlight modifiable behaviours in high-risk preschool children which could contribute to public health strategies for prevention of childhood obesity.
Affiliation
Department of Women and Children's Health, School of Life Course Sciences, King's College London, London, UK.
External References
- PubMed ID:
- 31883218
- DOI:
- 10.1111/ijpo.12608
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