Dietary factors associated with overweight and body adiposity in Finnish children aged 6-8 years: the PANIC Study

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the associations of dietary factors with overweight, body fat percentage (BF%), waist circumference (WC) and hip circumference (HC) among children. DESIGN: Cross-sectional analysis of the Physical Activity and Nutrition in Children (PANIC) Study among 510 children (263 boys, 247 girls) aged 6-8 years from Kuopio, Finland. METHODS: The children's weight, height, WC and HC were measured. Overweight was defined by International Obesity Task Force body mass index cutoffs. The BF% was measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry, nutrient intakes and meal frequency by 4-day food records and eating behaviour by Children's Eating Behaviour Questionnaire. RESULTS: Daily consumption of all the three main meals was inversely associated with overweight (odds ratio (OR) 0.37, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.18-0.75), BF% (beta -0.12, P = 0.012), WC (beta -0.16, P = 0.002) and HC (beta -0.15, P = 0.002). Enjoyment of food, food responsiveness and emotional overeating were directly associated with overweight (OR 1.57, 95% CI 1.04-2.35; OR 4.68, 95% CI 2.90-7.54; OR 2.60, 95% CI 1.52-4.45, respectively), BF% (beta 0.13, P = 0.004; beta 0.30, P<0.001; beta 0.09, P = 0.035, respectively), WC (beta 0.14, P = 0.003; beta 0.40, P<0.001; b 0.19, P<0.001, respectively) and HC (beta 0.15, P = 0.001; beta 0.38, P<.001; beta 0.15, P = 001, respectively). Satiety responsiveness was inversely associated with overweight (OR 0.42, 95% CI 0.26-0.67), BF% (beta -0.20, P<0.001), WC (beta 0.26, P<0.001) and HC (beta 0.26, P<0.001). Slowness in eating was inversely associated with overweight (OR 0.61, 95% CI 0.41-0.92), WC (beta -0.16, P = 0.001) and HC (beta -0.17, P<0.001). Protein intake was directly associated with BF% (beta 0.11, P = 0.017), WC (beta 0.11, P = 0.020) and HC (beta 0.13, P = 0.008). CONCLUSIONS: Promoting regular consumption of main meals and healthy eating behaviours should be emphasized in the prevention of overweight among children. More research is needed on the association of protein-rich foods with body adiposity in children.