Abstract
Nutritional status affects linear growth and development. However, studies on the associations between nutritional status, diet quality, and age-standardized height in children are limited. The aim of this study was to assess the relationship between macro- and micronutrient intake and food consumption and height-for-age Z score (HAZ) among US children in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). This cross-sectional population-based study included 6116 US children aged 2–18 years. The usual dietary intake of nutrients and food groups was estimated by the multiple source method (MSM) using two-day food consumption data from NHANES 2007–2014. After adjusting for covariates, HAZ was positively associated with intakes of energy, protein, carbohydrate, fat, vitamins A, D, E, B6, and B12, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, calcium, and iron. Children in the highest tertile of HAZ were less likely to consume lower than the EAR for vitamin E and calcium. Major foods consumed by children with lower HAZ were soft drinks, high-fat milk products, cakes, cookies, pastries, and pies, whereas children with higher HAZ tended to consume low-fat milk products, tea, and low-calorie fruit juice. These findings suggest that adequate nutritional intake, diet quality, and nutrient-dense food are important factors for height in children.
Highlights
Published: 16 May 2021Height is a good overall indicator of a child’s growth and well-being, and stunting in childhood is a critical impediment to human development
Higher height-for-age Z score (HAZ) was associated with greater consumption of vitamins A, D, and E, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, vitamin B6, vitamin B12, calcium, and iron after adjusting for gender, age, ethnicity, and birth weight (Table 2)
Compared to children in the lowest tertile of HAZ, children in the highest tertile of HAZ were 25% less likely to consume below the estimated average requirements (EAR) of vitamin E (OR: 0.75; 95% CI, 0.59–0.95) after adjusting for gender, age, ethnicity and birth weight
Summary
Published: 16 May 2021Height is a good overall indicator of a child’s growth and well-being, and stunting in childhood is a critical impediment to human development. 162 million children under five years old have been affected by growth faltering globally, which has negative impacts on individuals and societies, including impaired cognitive development [2,3], poor health and reduced productive capacity [4], and increased risk of disease and mortality [5,6]. Among several determinants of growth, it is well known that nutritional status in childhood directly affects growth and development [11]. Energy and protein restriction have been shown to result in significant decreases in insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1), a key hormone in the promotion of childhood growth, in animal [12] and human [13] studies
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