Age, socioeconomic status, and weight status as determinants of dietary patterns among German youth: findings from the LIFE child study.

IF 4 2区农林科学 Q2 NUTRITION & DIETETICS

Frontiers in Nutrition Pub Date : 2025-04-30 eCollection Date: 2025-01-01 DOI:10.3389/fnut.2025.1578176

Emmelie Hähnel, Carolin Sobek, Peggy Ober, Wieland Kiess, Mandy Vogel

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Abstract

Background: Malnutrition and its consequences, such as obesity, are growing problems, especially in disadvantaged subpopulations. In order to pinpoint possible contributors to children's nutritional habits, we examined potential determinants as age, sex, socioeconomic status, and weight status of different dietary patterns (dp) in a large German research project.

Methods: The data was collected within a population-based longitudinal cohort study. We used the Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ) to assess food intake in 484 children and adolescents aged 5-18 years across 1,068 visits. Cluster analysis was used to identify food groups. Study participants who consumed food groups with a similar frequency were grouped together as dietary patterns. We applied logistic and linear regression to test for whether group membership in different food groups and dietary patterns was associated with age, sex, socioeconomic status (SES), or body mass index (BMI).

Results: Overall, food consumption frequency decreased with age, including healthy foods like fruits (β = -0.39, p < 0.001) and vegetables (β = -0.17, p = 0.020). Boys consumed more meat and carbohydrates, milk/egg products, and junk food than girls did, but dietary patterns showed no significant sex differences. There was a trend toward a healthier diet with increasing SES (OR = 1.33, p < 0.001). Children with overweight or obesity were less likely to follow an infrequent diet (OR_OW = 0.56, p = 0.075; OR_OB = 0.41, p < 0.001) and were not significantly underrepresented in the healthiest pattern but were more likely to follow a neutral diet (OR_OW = 4.14, p = 0.042; OR_OB = 1.47, p = 0.504).

Conclusion: Our study identified age and SES as key factors in children's and adolescents' nutrition, highlighting their importance for improvement measures. The findings on weight and diet suggest both the complexity of obesity aetiology and potential reporting bias in certain weight groups.

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年龄、社会经济地位和体重状况是德国青少年饮食模式的决定因素：来自LIFE儿童研究的发现。

背景：营养不良及其后果，如肥胖，是日益严重的问题，特别是在弱势亚群体中。为了确定儿童营养习惯的可能影响因素，我们在一项大型德国研究项目中研究了不同饮食模式（dp）的年龄、性别、社会经济地位和体重状况等潜在决定因素。方法：数据收集于一项基于人群的纵向队列研究。我们使用食物频率问卷（FFQ）评估了1068次访问中484名5-18岁 儿童和青少年的食物摄入量。聚类分析用于确定食物类别。食用频率相似的食物组的研究参与者被归类为饮食模式。我们应用逻辑回归和线性回归来检验不同食物组和饮食模式的群体成员是否与年龄、性别、社会经济地位（SES）或体重指数（BMI）相关。结果：总体而言，随着年龄的增长，食品消费频率下降，包括水果等健康食品（β = -0.39,p β = -0.17,p = 0.020）。男孩比女孩吃更多的肉和碳水化合物、牛奶/蛋制品和垃圾食品，但饮食模式没有明显的性别差异。随着社会经济水平的提高，饮食趋向健康(OR = 1.33,p OW = 0.56,p = 0.075；OROB = 0.41,p OW = 4.14,p = 0.042；OROB = 1.47,p = 0.504)。结论：年龄和社会经济地位是影响儿童和青少年营养状况的关键因素，并强调了其改善措施的重要性。关于体重和饮食的研究结果表明，肥胖病因的复杂性和某些体重群体中潜在的报告偏差。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Frontiers in Nutrition Agricultural and Biological Sciences-Food Science

CiteScore

5.20

自引率

8.00%

发文量

2891

审稿时长

12 weeks

期刊介绍： No subject pertains more to human life than nutrition. The aim of Frontiers in Nutrition is to integrate major scientific disciplines in this vast field in order to address the most relevant and pertinent questions and developments. Our ambition is to create an integrated podium based on original research, clinical trials, and contemporary reviews to build a reputable knowledge forum in the domains of human health, dietary behaviors, agronomy & 21st century food science. Through the recognized open-access Frontiers platform we welcome manuscripts to our dedicated sections relating to different areas in the field of nutrition with a focus on human health. Specialty sections in Frontiers in Nutrition include, for example, Clinical Nutrition, Nutrition & Sustainable Diets, Nutrition and Food Science Technology, Nutrition Methodology, Sport & Exercise Nutrition, Food Chemistry, and Nutritional Immunology. Based on the publication of rigorous scientific research, we thrive to achieve a visible impact on the global nutrition agenda addressing the grand challenges of our time, including obesity, malnutrition, hunger, food waste, sustainability and consumer health.