Abstract
Eating behavior is an important aspect for dietary quality and long-term health. This study examined associations between eating vegetables first at a meal and food intakes among preschool children in Tokyo, Japan. We used cross-sectional data of 135 preschool children from seven nursery schools in Adachi City, Tokyo, Japan. Caregivers completed a survey on child’s eating behaviors and a diet questionnaire. Linear regression was used to examine frequency of eating vegetables first at a meal and food intakes; percent difference and the corresponding 95% confidence interval (95% CI) were presented. Overall, 25.2% of children reported eating vegetables first at a meal every time, 52.6% sometimes, and 22.2% not often or never. In the multivariate analysis, higher vegetable intake remained significant after adjusting for other covariates (compared with the group of eating vegetables first not often or never, the group reported sometimes: 27%, 95% CI: 0–63%; the group reported every time: 93%, 95% CI: 43–159%). No significant difference in intake by frequency categories of eating vegetables first was observed for other food groups, including fruits, meat, fish, cereals, and sweets. Children eating vegetables first at a meal more was associated with higher total intake of vegetables compared with children who did not eat vegetables first, among Japanese preschool children.
Highlights
A healthy diet is an essential component for meeting proper nutrition requirement for optimal body growth and body weight during childhood [1,2,3]
Compared with the other two groups, the group of children reported as eating vegetables first at a meal every time had slightly higher body mass index (BMI), a greater proportion of parents who owned self-business or had full-time job, better caregiver-rated physical health, more frequent physical activity, as suggested by a lower proportion of children who rarely or never conducted exercise that was longer than 30 min, and more frequent vegetable consumption (Table 1)
Compared with the group of children reported as eating vegetables first at a meal not often or never, the “sometimes” group had 27% higher vegetable intake, and the
Summary
A healthy diet is an essential component for meeting proper nutrition requirement for optimal body growth and body weight during childhood [1,2,3]. A poor diet can be a result of an imbalanced diet by overeating low-nutrient-dense foods such as refined carbohydrates and sweets and failing to consume other foods with high nutrient density, such as fruits, vegetables, and healthy meats [4]. Having a poor diet by consuming an excessive amount of unhealthy food and an insufficient amount of healthy food can lead to both short-term and long-term negative consequences on children development, such as obesity, nutrition deficiency, and insufficient body growth [5,6,7]. In addition to its beneficial role on body growth in childhood, a healthy diet pattern formed in childhood will benefit long-term health if the pattern is maintained in later life [8,9].
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