Relationship between parents' dietary care and food diversity among preschool children in Japan

Objective: To identify the relationship between preschool children's dietary diversity and parents' care behaviours related to their diet including contents of foods and snacks, mealtime practice and parent-child communication. Design: Cross-sectional study. Data were extracted from the National Nutrition Survey on Preschool Children in 2015 by Japan's Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare. Setting: The distribution of food diversity score (FDS) (maximum of eight points) was confirmed. The participants were divided into higher (>= 4 points) and lower (<= 3 points) food diversity groups. A comparison between the two groups examined parents' socio-economic status, children's health and living conditions, and parental care concerning children's diets (thirteen items). A multiple regression analysis was performed relating FDS to the factors of parental socio-economic status and child health, and a logistic regression analysis was conducted to identify factors of parental care related to the higher food diversity group. Participants: 2143 persons from households with children aged 2-6 years. Results: Parental care concerning children's diets was the factor most strongly associated with children's FDS. Those factors most strongly associated with higher food diversity were nutritional balance of foods (OR: 1 center dot 76; 95 % CI 1 center dot 44, 2 center dot 16; P < 0 0001), snack contents (OR: 1 center dot 41; 95 % CI 1 center dot 07, 1 center dot 86; P = 0 center dot 014) and regular mealtimes (OR: 1 center dot 30; 95 % CI 1 center dot 08, 1 center dot 55; P = 0 center dot 005). Conclusions: The findings indicate the importance of parents paying attention to the contents of children's foods and snacks, ensuring that children eat regularly, and increasing the diversity of their diets.