Abstract

Introduction: The patterns of dietary intake have consequences on human health and well-being in both developed countries and those undergoing development. Childhood is a critical period for the development of obesity and this is the time that individuals are most amenable to change. Few studies have examined how dietary patterns change from childhood to adulthood, and the determinants of dietary changes are understudied as well.

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Objectives: The objective of this study was to examine the change in eating patterns of children between the ages 8-11 years and 15-17 years and to describe potential determinants of dietary changes as children grow older. Specific: To evaluate predictors of change in diet as children ae including weight status of the child, maternal obesity, paternal obesity and supper with family as potential factors to determine this change

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Design: Dietary data from the Quebec Adiposity and Lifestyle Investigation in Youth (QUALITY) Cohort were examined. The families were followed up every 2-3 years in a full-day visit at the Unite de Researcher Clinique du Centre Hospitalier Universitaire (CHU) Sainte-Justine in Montreal and Hospital Laval in Quebec City.

Method: Participants 8-10 through 15-17 years of age had their dietary assessments performed using standard protocols. Dietary data were obtained by means of three 24-hour recalls at two-time points. Data were entered and verified using the CANDAT software (Godin and Associates) by trained data entry staff. Key nutrients and food groupings were examined using IBM SPSS Statistic 22.0 © 2012 Software. Paired t-tests were used to the food groups at two-time points. Participants were stratified by gender and by their obesity status to learn more about the evolution of diet as child grows older.

Results: The participants (n = 365), were on average 9.5±0.9y, 54.5% were male with a mean BMI z-score of 0.61±1.0 at baseline. In order to compare changes in the diet quality intakes were adjusted by 1000 kcal consumed. The number of fruit and dairy servings decreased from 1.5 to 1.3 and to respectively per day over time (p≤0.004). In contrast servings of grains and meats and alternatives increased. These changes in food choices led to increases in protein (p<0.001), a decrease in calcium, owing to the decreased dairy consumption. The findings revealed that maternal and paternal obesity had no significant impact on the change in diet over the years. Similarly, having supper with family did not influence dietary intake of children as they grew to become adolescents. This observational study provides insight into how dietary patterns change with aging but do not explain the degree of change attributable to any of the risk factors studied.