Chen Zheng Hao, Jacobson Gabrielle, Reyna Myrtha E, Parvulescu Paula, de Souza Russell J, Palmert Mark R, Lou Wendy, Campisi Susan C, Simons Elinor, Turvey Stuart E, Moraes Theo J, Mandhane Piushkumar J, Subbarao Padmaja, Miliku Kozeta
Department of Nutritional Sciences, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Department of Physiology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Obesity (Silver Spring). 2025 Jul;33(7):1355-1364. doi: 10.1002/oby.24294. Epub 2025 Jun 18.
We aimed to understand data-driven dietary patterns in Canadian preschoolers and their impact on obesity development among male and female individuals.
In the prospective, population-based Canadian pregnancy cohort, the CHILD Cohort Study (N = 2219), dietary intake was assessed at age 3 years using a previously developed 112-item food frequency questionnaire. At age 5 years, we measured height, weight, and waist circumference and calculated BMI and waist circumference z scores. Obesity was defined as BMI z score > 2. We used principal components analysis to derive dietary patterns and multivariable-adjusted regression analyses to determine dietary patterns' associations with BMI and waist circumference z scores, as well as obesity status.
Among Canadian preschoolers, we identified three dietary patterns: "Prudent" (high in vegetables, fruits, legumes, and fish); "Western-like" (high in fast foods, red/processed meats, and carbonated drinks); and "Refined Grain-Snack" (high in refined grains, dairy, and salty snacks). At age 5 years, 4.7% of the children were living with obesity (3.1% male individuals and 1.6% female individuals). Females adhering to the Refined Grain-Snack pattern had higher waist circumference z scores (β = 0.14; 95% CI: 0.03-0.25) and 2.74-fold odds of living with obesity (95% CI: 1.29-5.85). No significant associations were observed among male individuals or with other dietary patterns and obesity outcomes among female individuals.
Preschool dietary patterns are associated with sex-biased obesity development, highlighting the need for further research to explore these differences and inform targeted obesity prevention strategies during this important developmental period.
我们旨在了解加拿大学龄前儿童基于数据的饮食模式及其对男性和女性肥胖发展的影响。
在基于人群的前瞻性加拿大妊娠队列研究“儿童队列研究”（N = 2219）中，使用先前开发的112项食物频率问卷对3岁儿童的饮食摄入量进行评估。在5岁时，我们测量了身高、体重和腰围，并计算了BMI和腰围z评分。肥胖定义为BMI z评分>2。我们使用主成分分析得出饮食模式，并进行多变量调整回归分析，以确定饮食模式与BMI和腰围z评分以及肥胖状态之间的关联。
在加拿大学龄前儿童中，我们确定了三种饮食模式：“谨慎型”（蔬菜、水果、豆类和鱼类摄入量高）；“西式”（快餐、红肉/加工肉类和碳酸饮料摄入量高）；以及“精制谷物-零食型”（精制谷物、乳制品和咸味零食摄入量高）。在5岁时，4.7%的儿童患有肥胖症（男性为3.1%，女性为1.6%）。坚持“精制谷物-零食型”模式的女性腰围z评分较高（β = 0.14；95%CI：0.03 - 0.25），患肥胖症的几率是常人的2.74倍（95%CI：1.29 - 5.85）。在男性中未观察到显著关联，在女性中也未观察到其他饮食模式与肥胖结果之间的显著关联。
学龄前儿童的饮食模式与性别差异导致的肥胖发展有关，这凸显了进一步研究以探索这些差异并为这一重要发育阶段制定有针对性的肥胖预防策略提供依据的必要性。
