Overall Dietary Quality Score and Its Association with Weight Status of Taiwanese 4-6 Year Old Preschoolers

• Main Authors: Chang, Hui-Chun, 張惠淳
• Other Authors: Tzeng, Min-Su
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 2013
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/72056323105331786025

碩士 === 輔仁大學 === 營養科學系碩士班 === 101 === Prevalence of childhood obesity has been increasing worldwide. Studies indicate that unhealthy eating habits and lack of physical activity are key environmental contributors to childhood obesity. Human eating behaviors are complex behavior, hence, an overall diet quality index may better predict childhood obesity than single nutrient or food. There are few studies evaluated the relationships between overall diet quality and childhood obesity among preschool children in Taiwan. Therefore, the purpose of present study was to investigate overall diet quality of 4-6 year-old children and the correlation between overall diet quality and childhood obesity in Taiwan. Totally 352 children aged 4-6 year-old were sampled from Taipei City, New Taipei City, Kaohsiung and Hualien kindergartens. General questionnaire and semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire was used to collect preschool children's physical activity, sedentary activity, sleep time, types of food intakes. An overall dietary quality score for preschoolers (ODQ-SP) was developed based on dietary guidelines and Daily Food Guide for preschoolers in Taiwan. The ODQ-SP was calculated summing the individual score (0 to 10) assigned to each one of 10 index criteria. Results showed that ODQ-SP was positively associated with all nutrients, whole grains, vegetable, fruit and milk intake and dietary variety （r = 0.28 ~ 0.64, P <.0001). Negative associations were observed between ODQ-SP and frequencies of snack intakes (r = - 0.28, P <.0001) . It represents that the developed ODQ-SP was valid to evaluate children's nutrients and foods intakes. The mean of ODQ-SP of the sampled 4-6 year old children was 57.06 ± 7.90. Individual component score of whole grains, vegetable, dairy, snack, drinks did not reach half of optimal points of the specific criterium. The higher the ODQ-SP was the higher odds ratio of being normal weight. The developed ODQ-SP could probably be used as an long-term indicator to monitor Taiwanese preschool childrens' diet quality and weight status.