(P13-049-24) Is Parent Diet Quality Related to Child Diet Quality? A Cross-Sectional Pilot Study Among Low-Income Families From Indiana

Objectives: Evidence has shown inconclusive relationships between parent and child diets, including diet quality, despite an expected link. The objective of this pilot study was to determine whether parent diet quality predicts child diet quality among low-income families in Indiana, United States.

Methods: Baseline data collected from April 2023 to January 2024 from 49 paired parents 26-75 years and their children 5-17 years (one parent and one child) from low-income households throughout Indiana was utilized for this secondary analysis. The parent completed the U.S. Household Food Security Survey Module and parent and child each completed one to four Automated Self-Administered 24-hour dietary recalls (86% of the parent-child pairs reported intakes on the same day). The Healthy Eating Index (HEI-2015) derived using the simple method for individuals indicated diet quality for each parent and child score in a Pearson correlation coefficient test and parent HEI was the independent and child HEI the dependent variables in multiple linear regression models adjusted for food security status; child’s sex, ethnicity, and age; and parent’s age and smoking status.

Results: The HEI-2015 total scores indicated poor dietary quality for both parents and children (50.9±11.6 and 51.5±12.1, respectively). The parent-child correlations for HEI-2015 that were statistically significant were weak or moderate (p < 0.05: r=0.4 for total HEI, total fruits, greens and beans, and saturated fats; r=0.3 for whole fruits, total vegetables, and fatty acids; and r=0.5 for whole grains). Parent diet quality was not significantly related to child diet quality for the total HEI-2015 score but was significantly related for components such that an increase in one HEI point in the parent score, on average, was related to a small increase of 0.4 points for greens and beans (p=0.01), whole grains (p=0.004), and saturated fats (p=0.01); and 0.3 points for fatty acids (p=0.02) in the child scores.

Conclusions: A weak or moderate relationship existed between parent-child diets for several aspects of dietary quality. Factors other than parental dietary quality may potentially play a role in child dietary quality among low-income households.

Funding Sources: United States Department of Agriculture, National Institute of Food and Agriculture USDA NIFA