Ultraprocessed Food Consumption and Obesity Development in Canadian Children
Chen ZH, Mousavi S, Mandhane PJ, Simons E, Turvey SE, Moraes TJ, Subbarao P, Miliku K
JAMA network open · 21 citations
Review labels
Neutral facts our review recorded about how this study was done. They describe method, never whether we like the result.
How it was studied
- Design
- Cohort study (indexed by PubMed)
- Studied in
- People
- Main outcome
- Health markers and function
- Intake measured by
- Food frequency questionnaire
Who paid for it
- Funding
- Independent funding
- Government
- Genome Canada
- University or hospital
- McMaster University
- University or hospital
- BC Children's Hospital
- University or hospital
- University of Alberta
- University or hospital
- University of Toronto
- University or hospital
- Hospital for Sick Children
- Government
- Canadian Institutes of Health Research
- University or hospital
- Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney
Based on 8 listed funder(s).
Publication
- Published
- 2025-01-31 · JAMA Netw Open · vol. 8 · issue 1 · p. e2457341
- Publisher
- American Medical Association
- Cited
- 27 citations · more than 100% of similar papers · 24.0× the field average
- Impact
- Top 10% most cited in its field
- References
- 41 works
- Access
- Open access (journal) · CC-BY
- Research areas
- Consumer Attitudes and Food Labeling · Global Public Health Policies and Epidemiology · Nutrition, Genetics, and Disease
- Keywords
- Medicine, Anthropometry, Body mass index, Obesity, Waist, Demography, Population, Cohort, Childhood obesity, Prospective cohort study, Environmental health, Pediatrics, Overweight, Internal medicine
- MeSH
- humans, body mass index, diet, prospective studies, food handling, child, preschool, canada, female, male, adiposity, fast foods, pediatric obesity
8 authors
From CA, MY
- Zheng Hao ChenUniversity of Toronto
- Sara MousaviUniversity of Toronto
- Piush J. MandhaneUniversity of Alberta; UCSI University
- Elinor SimonsUniversity of Manitoba
- Stuart E. TurveyUniversity of British Columbia; BC Children's Hospital
- Theo J. MoraesUniversity of Toronto; Hospital for Sick Children; SickKids Foundation
Abstract
Importance
Ultraprocessed foods (UPF), characterized as shelf-stable but nutritionally imbalanced foods, pose a public health crisis worldwide. In adults, UPF consumption is associated with increased obesity risk, but findings among children are inconsistent.
Objectives
To examine the associations among UPF intake, anthropometric adiposity indicators, and obesity status in Canadian children.
Design, setting, and participants
In the CHILD Cohort Study, one of the largest prospective, multicenter, population-based pregnancy cohorts in Canada, diet was assessed during the 3-year visit (September 2011 to June 2016), and anthropometric measurements were assessed at the 5-year visit (December 2013 to April 2018). Data analysis was performed between July 1, 2023, and June 30, 2024.
Exposure
Diet intake was assessed using a semiquantitative food frequency questionnaire at 3 years of age. UPFs were identified using the NOVA classification system.
Main outcomes and measures
Anthropometric adiposity indicators were measured at 5 years of age and used to calculate age- and sex-standardized z scores for body mass index (BMI), waist to height ratio, and subscapular and triceps skinfold thicknesses, and obesity, which was defined using BMI z score cutoffs. Multivariable-adjusted regression analyses were used to examine the associations of UPF with adiposity and obesity development, accounting for parental, birth, and early-childhood factors.
Results
Among 2217 participants included in this study, median age at the outcome assessment was 5.0 (IQR, 5.0-5.1) years, and 1175 (53.0%) were males. At 3 years of age, UPF contributed 45.0% of total daily energy intake. UPF energy contribution was higher in males vs females (46.0% vs 43.9%; P < .001). Among all participants, higher UPF intake at 3 years of age was associated with higher anthropometric adiposity indicators at 5 years of age, primarily driven by males. In males, every 10% UPF energy increase was associated with higher adiposity indicator z scores for BMI (β, 0.08; 95% CI, 0.03-0.14), waist to height ratio (β, 0.07; 95% CI, 0.01-0.12), and subscapular (β, 0.12; 95% CI, 0.06-0.18) and triceps (β, 0.09; 95% CI, 0.03-0.15) skinfold thickness and higher odds of living with overweight or obesity (odds ratio, 1.19; 95% CI, 1.03-1.36). No significant associations were observed among females.
Conclusions and relevance
In this cohort study of Canadian children, high UPF consumption during early childhood was associated with obesity development, primarily in males. These findings can inform targeted public health initiatives for early childhood centers and caregiver education programs to reduce UPF intake and prevent obesity.
Abstract via Europe PMC. Copyright remains with the authors or publisher (CC BY).
Community trust
Loading…
How much do you trust this study's findings?
Comments
Sign in to rate, comment on or flag this study.Sign inSomething wrong here?
Flag this study if its information, labels or funding look wrong. An editor reviews every flag.
Sign in to rate, comment on or flag this study.Sign inEducational information about published research. Not medical advice, and not a recommendation to start or stop anything.