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Longitudinal dietary trajectories from preconception to mid-childhood in women and children in the Southampton Women’s Survey and their relation to offspring adiposity: a group-based trajectory modelling approach
Since the global rates of childhood obesity are rising, this 2022 study investigated if the dietary quality of children is related to the maternal diet before pregnancy. Dietary data was taken from the UK Southampton Women’s Survey (including 2963 mother-offspring dyads). Maternal diet was examined pre-pregnancy and at 11- and 34-weeks’ gestation, while the offspring’s’ diets were assessed at ages 6 and 12 months, 3, 6-7- and 8-9-years using food frequency questionnaires. The plan was to determine dietary quality, and to carry out analyses using group-based trajectory modeling of a diet quality index. One of the study’s aims was to follow and report the mother-child diet quality trajectories from pre-pregnancy to child aged 8-9 years. A five-trajectory group model was used. This included diet quality trajectories such as poor, poor-medium, medium, medium-better, and best. A poorer dietary trajectory was associated with higher maternal pre-pregnancy BMI, smoking, multiparity (having given birth to multiple children), lower maternal age, and lower educational achievements. A second aim of the study was to evaluate the relationship between the trajectories and childhood adiposity outcomes. The data showed that 1-category decrease in the dietary trajectory was linked with higher percentage body fat and BMI z-score in the 1216 children followed up at age 8-9 years. In conclusion, poorer diet quality correlated with various maternal factors (e.g. socio-demographic) and childhood adiposity. The preconception period may be an important time to encourage positive maternal dietary changes for better childhood outcomes. [NPID: diet quality, diet, pregnancy, children, childhood diet, maternal diet, child development, adiposity, body weight, obesity]
Year: 2021
