Intake of Fibre-Associated Foods and Texture Preferences in Relation to Weight Status Among 9–12 Years Old Children in 6 European Countries

Abstract

Plant foods, rich in fibre, can offer textures that children find difficult to orally manipulate, resulting in low preferences but are important for a healthy diet and prevention of overweight in children. Our aim was to investigate preferences for food texture, intake of fibre-associated foods and the relation to BMI. Three hundred thirty European children (9–12 years, 54% female) indicated their texture preferences using the Child-Food-Texture-Preference- Questionnaire (CFTPQ), and their parents responded on fibre-associated food consumption and anthropometric information. BMI was significantly lower for children with higher intake of wholegrain alternatives of common foods; in addition to being significantly influenced by country and the wearing of a dental brace. Overall BMI-for-age-percentiles (BMI_pct) were negatively associated with the consumption of wholegrain cereals, white pasta and wholemeal products and positively associated with the intake of legumes and white biscuits. In males, BMI_pct were negatively associated with wholegrain products and dried fruits, and in females, positively with legume consumption. A few country-related associations were found for BMI_pct and wholegrain biscuits, seeds and nuts and refined products. No overall correlation was found between BMI_pct and the texture preference of soft/hard foods by CFTPQ, except in Austria. We conclude that this study revealed evidence of a connection between fibre-associated foods and children‘s BMI at a cross-cultural level and that sex is an important determinant of fibre-associated food intake and the development of overweight in childhood.

Resistant Starches and Non-Communicable Disease: A Focus on Mediterranean Diet

“…Food intake plays a critical role in the development of metabolic diseases. Recently, an investigation on European children from six different nations has highlighted that the consumption of fiber-rich foods does not meet present recommended daily intake guidelines [ 6 ]. The authors have found out a weak but significant correlation between an increase in BMI and a decrease in consumption frequency of wholegrain cereals and wholemeal products (bread, cereals, biscuits, pasta, rice).…”

“…The authors have found out a weak but significant correlation between an increase in BMI and a decrease in consumption frequency of wholegrain cereals and wholemeal products (bread, cereals, biscuits, pasta, rice). Furthermore, adopting the consumption of high-fiber foods in early childhood can delay the initiation of impaired condition [ 6 , 7 ]. These results are mostly driven by Italy (lower cereals consumption frequency).…”

Investigating the Relationships between Taste Preferences and Beverage Intake in Preadolescents

“…Out of the 100 participating preadolescents (11–12 years), 40% were living with overweight or obesity, categorized by BMI for age percentiles. This is a very high proportion compared to other investigations, which reported 19% [ 37 ] and 31% [ 38 ] of children living with overweight or obesity. The children included in the other examinations were partly younger (9 to 12 years of age), and the prevalence might be lower in younger ones here.…”

Efficacy of school-based intervention programs in reducing overweight: A randomized trial

“…In particular, dietary factors are importantly associated with childhood obesity ( 10 ) and the prevalence rates of diet-related diseases, such as obesity and diabetes in children and adolescents, push for the right priority to healthy diets ( 8 , 9 , 11 ). Many children, instead of a diet rich in fruits and vegetables, choose snacks with saturated trans fats and sugar ( 12 ), which lead to a higher energy intake ( 13 ) and consequently to overweight/obesity ( 12 , 14 , 15 ). The assumption of harmful behaviors, such as eating unhealthy foods, during the time spent in a sedentary lifestyle, has been shown to exacerbate the capacity to maintain an adequate body weight in children by creating a vicious cycle ( 16 , 17 ).…”