UCD Perinatal Research Centre, School of Medicine, University College Dublin, National Maternity Hospital, Dublin 2, Ireland.
School of Biological and Health Sciences, Technological University Dublin, Dublin, Ireland.
BMC Pediatr. 2022 Jun 27;22(1):366. doi: 10.1186/s12887-022-03423-x.
Individual differences in children eating behaviours have been linked with childhood overweight and obesity. The determinants of childhood eating behaviours are influenced by a complex combination of hereditary and ecological factors. This study examines if key ecological predictors of childhood overweight; maternal socio-economic status (SES), children's screen time, and childcare arrangements, are associated with eating behaviours in children aged 5-years-old.
This is secondary, cross-sectional analysis of the ROLO (Randomized COntrol Trial of LOw glycemic diet in pregnancy) study, using data from the 5-year follow-up (n = 306). Weight, height, and body mass index (BMI) were obtained from mothers and children at the 5-year follow-up. Children's BMI z-scores were calculated. SES was determined using maternal education level and neighborhood deprivation score. Information on children's screen time and childcare arrangements were collected using lifestyle questionnaires. Children's eating behaviours were measured using the Children's Eating Behaviour Questionnaire (CEBQ). Multiple linear regression, adjusted for potential confounders, assessed associations between maternal SES, screen time and children's eating behaviours. One-way ANOVA, independent sample t-tests and Spearman's correlation examined childcare exposure and children's eating behaviour.
Mothers in the lowest SES group had higher BMI and were younger than those in the highest SES group (p = < 0.001, p = 0.03 respectively). In adjusted analysis, the lowest SES group was associated with a 0.463-point higher mean score for 'Desire to Drink' (95% CI = 0.054,0.870, p = 0.027) and higher 'Slowness to Eat' (B = 0.388, 95% CI = 0.044,0.733, p = 0.027) when compared with the highest SES group. Screen time (hours) was associated with higher 'Food Fussiness' (B = 0.032, 95% CI = 0.014,0.051, p = 0.001). Those who attended childcare had higher scores for 'Desire to Drink'(p = 0.046). No relationship was observed between longer duration (years) spent in childcare and eating behaviours.
In this cohort, the ecological factors examined had an influence on children's eating behaviours aged 5-years-old. Our results illustrate the complexity of the relationship between the child's environment, eating behaviour and children's body composition. Being aware of the ecological factors that impact the development of eating behaviours, in the pre-school years is vital to promote optimal childhood appetitive traits, thus reducing the risk of issues with excess adiposity long-term.
儿童饮食习惯的个体差异与儿童超重和肥胖有关。儿童饮食习惯的决定因素受到遗传和生态因素的复杂组合的影响。本研究旨在探讨儿童超重的关键生态预测因素；母亲的社会经济地位（SES）、儿童的屏幕时间和儿童保育安排，是否与 5 岁儿童的饮食习惯有关。
这是 ROLO（妊娠期低升糖指数饮食随机对照试验）研究的二次横断面分析，使用 5 年随访的数据（n=306）。母亲和儿童在 5 年随访时获得体重、身高和体重指数（BMI）。计算儿童 BMI 标准差分数。SES 由母亲的教育水平和邻里贫困程度评分决定。使用生活方式问卷收集儿童的屏幕时间和儿童保育安排信息。使用儿童饮食行为问卷（CEBQ）测量儿童的饮食行为。在调整潜在混杂因素后，采用多元线性回归评估 SES、屏幕时间与儿童饮食行为之间的关系。单因素方差分析、独立样本 t 检验和斯皮尔曼相关分析检验儿童保育暴露与儿童饮食行为的关系。
SES 最低组的母亲 BMI 较高，且年龄小于 SES 最高组（p<0.001，p=0.03）。在调整分析中，与 SES 最高组相比，SES 最低组的“渴望饮水”平均评分高 0.463 分（95%CI=0.054，0.870，p=0.027），“进食缓慢”评分高 0.388 分（95%CI=0.044，0.733，p=0.027）。屏幕时间（小时）与更高的“挑食”（B=0.032，95%CI=0.014，0.051，p=0.001）相关。参加儿童保育的儿童“渴望饮水”得分较高（p=0.046）。在儿童保育中花费的时间（年）与饮食行为之间没有观察到关系。
在本队列中，研究中检查的生态因素对 5 岁儿童的饮食行为有影响。我们的结果说明了儿童所处环境、饮食行为和儿童身体成分之间关系的复杂性。了解影响学龄前儿童饮食行为发展的生态因素对于促进最佳儿童食欲特征至关重要，从而长期降低超重问题的风险。
