(PTFS17-02-24) Dietary Diversity, Meal Frequency and Infant Growth at 12 Months of Age

Objectives: To evaluate the association between dietary diversity, meal frequency, and infant growth at 12 months of age in the United States (US).

Methods: Data came from the Infant Feeding Practices Study II, a longitudinal study in the US that followed mother-infant dyads from late pregnancy to 12 months postpartum. Mothers reported foods fed to infants in the past 7 days (i.e., breast milk, infant formula, liquids, and solid foods) throughout the first year and typical daily meal frequency in the past 7 days from 6 to 12 months postpartum every 1-1.5 months. The mean of daily dietary diversity scores and the mean of meal frequency between 6-12 months postpartum were calculated. The z-scores of weight-for-age (WAZ), length-for-age (LAZ), weight-for-length (WLZ), and body mass index-for-age (BMIZ) were calculated based on the weight and length obtained at 12 months of age. Multiple linear regression models were used to examine the associations between dietary diversity, meal frequency, and infant growth at 12 months of age.

Results: Among 705 infants included in the study, the means of daily dietary diversity scores and meal frequency between 6-12 months postpartum were 3.3 (Standard Deviation [SD]: 0.63) and 6.5 (SD: 1.1), respectively. A one-point higher mean of daily dietary diversity score was associated with higher LAZ (Adjusted: β = 0.51, 95% CI: 0.22, 0.79, p-value < 0.001) and lower BMIZ (Adjusted: β = -0.26, 95% CI: -0.51, -0.01, p-value = 0.04) at 12 months of age after adjusting for covariates, but not associated with WAZ and WLZ. The mean of meal frequency was not associated with any z-scores.

Conclusions: Dietary diversity was associated with infant length but not with infant weight (WAZ) at 12 months of age. Additionally, meal frequency was not associated with infant growth in weight and length. Raising awareness about ensuring appropriate dietary diversity is crucial for promoting infant healthy growth. Further studies disentangling various aspects of infant feeding, including food amount and specific food groups, are warranted to comprehensively understand their relationship with infant growth.

Funding Sources: This research was funded by the SPARC Graduate Research Grant via the Office of the Vice President for Research at the University of South Carolina.