Prenatal Healthy Dietary Patterns Are Associated with Reduced Behavioral Problems of Preschool Children in China: A Latent Class Analysis

Lianjie Dou, Jijun Gu, Ying Pan, Dan Huang, Zhaohui Huang, Huihui Bao, Wanke Wu, Peng Zhu, Fangbiao Tao and Jiahu Hao ()
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Lianjie Dou: Department of Epidemiology and Health Statistics, School of Public Health, Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230032, China
Jijun Gu: Department of Maternal, Child & Adolescent Health, School of Public Health, Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230032, China
Ying Pan: Department of Maternal, Child & Adolescent Health, School of Public Health, Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230032, China
Dan Huang: Department of Maternal, Child & Adolescent Health, School of Public Health, Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230032, China
Zhaohui Huang: Department of Maternal, Child & Adolescent Health, School of Public Health, Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230032, China
Huihui Bao: Department of Maternal, Child & Adolescent Health, School of Public Health, Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230032, China
Wanke Wu: Department of Maternal, Child & Adolescent Health, School of Public Health, Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230032, China
Peng Zhu: Department of Maternal, Child & Adolescent Health, School of Public Health, Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230032, China
Fangbiao Tao: Department of Maternal, Child & Adolescent Health, School of Public Health, Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230032, China
Jiahu Hao: Department of Epidemiology and Health Statistics, School of Public Health, Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230032, China

IJERPH, 2023, vol. 20, issue 3, 1-15

Abstract: The relation between maternal dietary patterns during pregnancy and offspring behavioral problems is less verified. Therefore, we have aimed to assess the relationship between them and have hypothesized that children of mothers with healthy dietary patterns during pregnancy have better behavior. The 1612 mother-child pairs of the China-Anhui Birth Cohort Study (C-ABCS) have been enrolled as the study population. The dietary behaviors of mothers during early and mid-pregnancy have been investigated using a semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire. Preschool child behavioral problems have been assessed. Clusters of maternal food groups intakes have been identified using latent class analysis, and the association between maternal dietary patterns and child behavioral problems has been subsequently analyzed using logistic regression. Maternal age at inclusion is 26.56 ± 3.51 years. There has been a preponderance of boys (53.3%). Maternal food groups intakes have been classified into four groups: “High-consumed pattern (HCP)”, “Southern dietary pattern (SDP)”, “Northern dietary pattern (NDP)”, and “Low-consumed pattern (LCP)”. The offspring with maternal SDP and NDP have lower emotional symptoms compared to the offspring with maternal LCP in the first trimester ( p < 0.05). It has been reported to lower conduct problems in children with maternal SDP than the children with maternal LCP in the second trimester ( p < 0.05). In boys, we have detected associations between first-trimester SDP and lower emotional symptoms ( p < 0.05) and between second-trimester SDP with decreased peer relationship problems ( p < 0.05). In girls, total difficulty scores are lower with second-trimester SDP ( p < 0.05). Maternal SDP in early and mid-pregnancy predicts reduced behavioral problems in preschool children, while maternal HCP and NDP during pregnancy may result in fewer developmental benefits.

Keywords: dietary patterns; pregnancy; behavioral problems; child; birth cohort (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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