Dietary Diversity and Food Variety in Chinese Children Aged 3-17 Years: Are They Negatively Associated with Dietary Micronutrient Inadequacy?

Micronutrient inadequacy remains a nutritional problem in Chinese children. However, the associations between dietary diversity and inadequate micronutrient intake have not been extensively studied. A total of 2012 children aged 3-17 years from the China Health and Nutrition Survey were included for analysis. Dietary diversity score (DDS) and food variety scores (FVS) were assessed based on three 24-h recall periods. The nutrient adequacy ratio (NAR) was used to determine the micronutrient adequacy of the diet. The mean adequacy ratio (MAR, %) was defined as the sum of each NAR divided by the number of involved micronutrients. Overall micronutrient inadequacy (OMI) was defined as having a MAR below 0.75. Micronutrient inadequacy was defined as the proportion of individuals whose nutrient intake was less than the estimated average requirement. After adjustment confounders, DDS and FVSs were positively associated with MAR and NAR of most nutrients except sodium (p < 0.05). A higher DDS was negatively associated with the prevalence of inadequate intake of vitamin A, riboflavin, vitamin C, iron, zinc, selenium, niacin, phosphorus, magnesium and OMI. Similar results were found for FVSs. In conclusion, this study indicates that poor dietary diversity and food variety in Chinese children are directly associated with inadequate micronutrient intake.