Associations between mother–child dyad dietary patterns and child anthropometric measures among 6-year-old children

Abstract

The goals of this study were to study relationships between maternal and children’s dietary patterns (DPs) and to assess how children’s DP was associated with child anthropometry. This cross-sectional study included 788 pairs of 6-year-old girls and mothers in health centers in Tehran, Iran. Information on dietary intake was collected with a 168-item food frequency questionnaire. Principal component factor analysis was performed to label different data-driven dietary patterns. Three different binary logistic regression models were used to evaluate the associations between child’s DPs and child anthropometry. A positive correlation was found between all maternal patterns and child’s Western DP (p < 0.001). Maternal prudent and Western DPs were correlated with child’s high-protein DP (p < 0.001). Children’s high-protein DP was negatively correlated with maternal high fat DP (p < 0.001). Maternal prudent and high fat DPs were correlated with prudent DP in children (p < 0.001). In adjusted models, a child being in the highest compared to the first quartile of the high-protein DP was associated with decreased odds of underweight and wasting (OR 0.43; 95 CI 0.23–0.80). Conclusion: The present study showed inverse associations between a high-protein DP in children and being underweight and wasted. Also, a positive correlation was found between all maternal DPs and children’s Western DPs. This correlation should be taken into account while managing child nutrition by means of educating parents on the influence of their own dietary pattern on their children. Moreover, getting enough protein through a balanced diet should be considered in children.What is Known:• Some research exists on the intake of specific foods in relation to risk of abnormal growth in children.• Less is known about the relationship between mothers’ and children’s food intake.What is New:• Better adherence to a high-protein dietary pattern was significantly associated with lower risk of being both underweight and wasted.• This study suggests that correlation between mothers’ and their children’s dietary patterns exists, which should be taken into consideration when managing child nutrition. © 2021, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.