(P22-053-24) Longitudinal Dietary Trajectories From Early Childhood to Adolescent and Associated Maternal and Early Childhood Factors: A Group-Based Trajectory Modelling Approach

Objectives: This study aimed to investigate longitudinal dietary pattern trajectories followed by children through early childhood to adolescence and identify maternal and child factors associated with identified trajectories.

Methods: Data from 4,268 children who participated in the 4-, 8/9- and 13 years of age follow-ups of the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) were included. Group-based trajectory modelling (GBTM) was used to identify groups of children following similar DP trajectories over time, and multinominal logistic regression assessed the determinants of the trajectories.

Results: Three distinct DP trajectories were identified over nine years for both the “healthy” and the “processed” dietary patterns and categorized as: “Lower trajectory”, “Moderate trajectory” and “Higher trajectory”. Children who followed the “Lower healthy DP trajectory”, were more likely than those following the “Higher healthy DP trajectory” to watch TV in early childhood (RRR for >3 hours/day: 3.08, 95% CI: 1.74-5.46), have mothers belonging to the middle social class (RRR: 1.77, 95% CI: 1.28-2.42), who were employed (RRR: 1.48, 95% CI: 1.09-2.03) and who had a high score on a “processed” DP during pregnancy (RRR: 1.23, 95% CI: 1.04-1.45). Further, children who were exposed to high levels of passive smoking ( RRR: 2.11, 95% CI: 1.29-3.46), high TV viewing hours (RRR: 2.69, 95% CI: 1.54-4.70), and whose mothers had high scores on the “processed” (RRR: 2.32, 95% CI: 1.95-2.76) DPs in pregnancy had a higher risk of following the “Higher processed DP trajectory”.

Conclusions: Dietary pattern trajectories established from early childhood to adolescence are strongly influenced by maternal dietary patterns during pregnancy and children’s early life exposures. Hence, there is a role for targeted strategies to improve maternal dietary habits and limit screen hours among children in early childhood to support healthier diet during childhood.

Funding Sources: The UK Medical Research Council and Wellcome and the University of Bristol provide core support for ALSPAC. This research was specifically supported by ARC Centre of Excellence for Children and Families over the Life Course and Institute of Social Science Research (ISSR).