Anthropometric assessment of relationship between dietary intake status of mothers and children: Similarity between dietary intake of mothers and children in overweight group is weak

Background and objectives: The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between the dietary intake status of mothers and children to determine specific methods of nutrition and dietary guidance based on an anthropometric assessment. Methods: 146 pairs of 3- to 5-year-old children and their mothers from nursery schools in Ward A, Tokyo, were included in the study; 52 pairs with available results of the mother-child survey were included in the analysis. The survey items were nutrition, food intake, and height and weight measurements. The children were divided into three groups based on their BMI percentile: standard body weight group (25–75 percentile), underweight group (0–25 percentile), and overweight group (75–100 percentile). This study was approved by the review board of Wayo Women's University. Results: There was no significant difference in the intake status of the children in terms of nutrients and food groups among the three groups. There was no significant difference in the intake of carbohydrates %E and lipids %E of the mothers among the three groups. Analysis of the association between the dietary intake of mothers and children showed a significant positive correlation in the standard body weight and underweight groups for the total energy intake; however, there was no correlation in the overweight group. The standard body weight group had a significant positive correlation for the intake of vegetable protein %E, potassium, magnesium, iron, vitamin D, vitamin C, dietary fiber, and salt equivalent; by contrast, the overweight group had no significant correlation. Notably, the overweight group had a significant positive correlation for the intake of cereals. All three groups had a positive correlation for the intake of green and yellow vegetables. Conclusions: There was no significant difference in the intake of nutrients and food groups among the three groups of children. Analysis of the relationship between the dietary intake of mothers and children indicated a strong similarity in the standard body weight group but not in the overweight group. It is important to focus on the difference between the eating habits of mothers and children for nutrition guidance, particularly in the overweight group.