Nutrients patterns and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder among Egyptian children: a sibling and community matched case-control study

Background Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD) diagnosis has been growing among children, with great public health concern. The relationship between nutrient intake pattern and ADHD remains unclear. Aim To identify the nutrient intake patterns and its association with ADHD in children. Subjects and methods The study involved 146 children with ADHD, 141 control sibling, and 146 community controls. ADHD diagnosis was confirmed using the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th Edition (DSM-V) criteria following the assessment by the long-form Conner’s Scale. Dietary intakes were assessed using a semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire. Nutrients patterns were identified using the principal component analysis (PCA). Results ADHD children have significantly higher mean total energy intake than community controls and siblings (8867.9, 4481.9 and 7308.2 KJ, respectively, p