SEARCHCROSS-SECTIONALpediatrics, nutrition

cross-sectional·pediatrics, nutrition, epidemiology, public health, observational study·PMC10030843

Eating order and childhood obesity among preschoolers in China: A cross-sectional study

Frontiers in Pediatrics · 9 authors, 3 centres

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TL;DR

However, among children of mothers with obesity, those who ate meats/fish first had a significantly higher risk of being overweight.

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This population-based cross-sectional study used a parent-reported online survey to examine the association between eating order at meal start and weight status in 1,562 preschoolers. Children were classified using International Obesity Task Force definitions. However, a stratified subgroup analysis revealed a significant interaction with maternal obesity. Among the 34 children with obese mothers, those who ate meats/fish first had a significantly higher mean BMI z-score (2.891 vs. 0.845) and a 12.21 times higher adjusted odds ratio for being overweight compared to those who ate vegetables first. Implications are limited to suggesting a possible association in a specific subgroup that requires confirmation in larger, longitudinal studies.

STUDY TYPE

cross-sectional

SPECIALTY

pediatrics

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100% · A

ORIGINAL PAPER

PMC10030843

Eating order and childhood obesity among preschoolers in China: A cross-sectional study

Frontiers in Pediatrics

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ABSTRACT

Background Early childhood is a critical period for dietary education and development of good eating habits. However, few studies have investigated the effect of eating order in children and childhood obesity in real-world settings. Objective To examine whether the order in which meats/fish or vegetables are consumed affects the risk of obesity in preschoolers. Methods We conducted a population-based cross-sectional study using a self-administered online survey on the lifestyle and health behaviors of preschoolers in Taizhou, China. A total of 3,200 parents were invited to take part in the survey, and 2,049 of them completed the questionnaire. Children were classified as having a normal weight, overweight, or obesity using the definitions provided by the International Obesity Task Force, and z-scores for body mass index were calculated. We divided the children's eating order at the beginning of the meal into two groups: “vegetables before meats/fish” or “meats/fish before vegetables”. We analyzed the relationship between what was consumed first at a meal and the overweight status of each child. Results No difference in body mass index was observed between the children eating meats/fish-first and the children eating vegetables-first during a meal. Children with parents who were affected by obesity were more likely to eat vegetables first. Among children of mothers with obesity, body mass index was significantly higher in the meats/fish-first group than that in the vegetable-first group (2.891 vs. 0.845, P = 0.007). In children whose mothers were affected by obesity, those that ate meats/fish first had a 12.21 times higher risk of being overweight compared with those that ate vegetables first (95% CI:1.22–121.74, P = 0.033). Conclusion Our findings suggest eating vegetables or meats/fish at the start of a meal does not affect weight status in preschoolers.

CITATION EXPORT

Jin Dai, Jingyun Yang, Hailing Fan et al.. Eating order and childhood obesity among preschoolers in China: A cross-sectional study. Frontiers in Pediatrics. (2023). https://doi.org/10.3389/fped.2023.1139743

AUTHORS

9 · 3 CENTRES

Jin Dai, Jingyun Yang, Hailing Fan, Yixin Wu, Huilan Wu, Yun Wang, Tao-Hsin Tung, Lizhen Wang, Meixian Zhang

1Department of Pediatrics, Taizhou Hospital of Zhejiang Province Affiliated to Wenzhou Medical University, Taizhou Enze Medical Center (Group) Enze Hospital, Taizhou, China
2Department of Pediatrics, Taizhou Hospital of Zhejiang Province Affiliated to Wenzhou Medical University, Linhai, China
3Evidence-Based Medicine Center, Taizhou Hospital of Zhejiang Province Affiliated to Wenzhou Medical University, Linhai, China