Skip to main content
NUTRITION 2023 Main banner
Icon Legend
This session is not in your schedule.
This session is in your schedule. Click again to remove it.
Back

Topical Area: Maternal, Perinatal and Pediatric Nutrition

Maternal, Perinatal and Pediatric Nutrition (II) (Poster Session)

(P18-039-23) Evaluating Nutrient Intake of 2-Year-Old Children Associated With Weight-for-Length Z-scores

Sunday, July 23, 2023
11:45 AM – 12:45 PM ET
Location: Poster Board 513
Disclosure(s):
Stewart P. Montgomery, BS: No relevant financial relationship(s) with ineligible companies to disclose.


Objectives: This study aimed to investigate whether dietary intakes of 2-year-old children enrolled in the STRONG Kids 2 cohort differed by weight-for-length (WFL) z-scores.

Methods: Of the 213 participants, 118 (55.4%) were classified as having a normal weight, 46 (21.6%) were at possible risk of obesity, 32 (15.0%) were overweight or obese, and 7 (3.3%) were in the underweight or severely underweight based on their WHO WFL z-score. Dietary intake and diet quality were assessed using a 90-item Child Block Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ; Nutrition Quest), which was completed online by the participant’s mother. The dietary data for the four WFL z-score categories were compared using Kruskal-Wallis one-way ANOVA with a Dunn’s test for multiple comparisons.

Results: There were no significant differences between WFL z-score categories for the following components of dietary intake: percentage of kcals from fat, protein, carbohydrates, or sweets, added sugars (g), type of milk consumed, iron (mg), dietary fiber (g), vitamin A (RE) and vitamin C (mg). However, children who were overweight or obese had significantly higher intakes of total kcals, protein (g), fat (g), saturated fat (g), calcium (g), sodium (mg), potassium (mg), vitamin D (IU), vitamin E (aTE), omega 3 fatty acids (g), omega 6 fatty acids (g), zinc (mg), servings of dairy, servings of meat, and total cups of milk than children with normal weight status or those at risk of becoming obese.

Conclusions: Comparing these findings with Dietary Reference Intakes and the 2020 – 2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, overweight or obese 2-year-old children in this study exceeded nutrient goals for kcals, protein, fat, and saturated fat (% kcal). Early childhood is a critical time for establishing healthy eating habits thus early interventions to improve diet quality can have long-lasting effects on later health outcomes.

Funding Sources: NIH, The National Dairy Council, General Mills