Article
Characterization of dietary intake trajectories throughout childhood, adolescence, and young adulthood in the DONALD study
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Authors
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Christina-Alexandra Conzen
- Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn, Institut für Ernährungs- und Lebensmittelwissenschaften (IEL), Abteilung Ernährungsepidemiologie, Bonn, Germany
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Ute Alexy
- Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn, Institut für Ernährungs- und Lebensmittelwissenschaften (IEL), Abteilung Ernährungsepidemiologie, Bonn, Germany
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Ute Nöthlings
- Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn, Institut für Ernährungs- und Lebensmittelwissenschaften (IEL), Abteilung Ernährungsepidemiologie, Bonn, Germany
| Published: | September 6, 2024 |
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Outline
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Background: An unhealthy lifestyle, including unfavorable dietary intake, has been associated with major public health challenges, including obesity, cardiovascular diseases and type 2 diabetes. Recent research shows that dietary behavior may already develop during childhood and carry forward into adulthood. Unfavorable dietary behavior in younger age has been associated with higher risk of cardio-metabolic diseases in later life. However, little is known whether dietary behavior rather remains constant or changes over the early life course.
Methods: In total, 4318 three-day weighted dietary records from 414 participants from the Dortmund Nutritional and Anthropometric Longitudinally Designed (DONALD) Study were analyzed. 5878 consumed food items were grouped in to 23 food groups. A group-based trajectory modelling approach was used to investigate the trajectories of dietary intake from 6-18 years of age. Without any a-priori hypothesis, the possible number of trajectories and their shapes (constant, linear, quadratic degree, and cubic) were investigated. To identify the number of trajectories that fit the data best the logeBayes factor (≅?2(∆Bayesian information criterion) ≥ 6) was used, considering all trajectories sizes ≥ 5%, and an average trajectory posterior probability ≥ 0.70.
Results: We observed that distinct trajectories depending on the food group of either two, three or four trajectories exist in the study population. A two (fish, nuts&pulses, flour&dough, rice, pasta, juices, ASB, savoury snacks, and miscellaneous foods), three (eggs, meat&charcuterie, dairy, fruits&vegetables, potatoes&potatoes products, non- whole grain bread&cereals, water&non-alcoholic spritzers, sweets&chocolates, and convenience foods), or four (cheese, animal fats, plant based fats, whole grain bread&cereals, and SSB) group solution, respectively, fitted the data best. For the majority of the food groups, intake remained constant between age of 6-18 years and participants had a 1) high-to-high or low-to-low trajectory (two group solution); a 2) low-to-low, medium-to-medium, or high-to-high trajectory (three group solution); or 3) low-to-low, medium low-to-medium low, medium high-to-medium high, or high-to-high (four group solution) trajectory. However, trajectories of SSB, whole-grain bread&cerelas, animal fats, and cheese followed a four group solution with a crossover of the low-to-high and a high-to-low trajectory group occurring around 10-12 years.
Conclusions: Our results suggest that distinct difference in trajectories of DP among individuals exist. For the majority of the food groups, trajectories remain rather constant throughout childhood and adolescence. For few food groups, a crossover of the low-to-high and high-to-low trajectory group was observed during adolescence. Understanding the dynamic of dietary intake is crucial to develop dietary behavior interventions.
The authors declare that they have no competing interests.
The authors declare that a positive ethics committee vote has been obtained.
