Data-Driven Dietary Patterns, Nutrient Intake and Body Weight Status in a Cross-Section of Singaporean Children Aged 6-12 Years

Pattern analysis of children's diet may provide insights into chronic disease risk in adolescence and adulthood. This study aimed to assess dietary patterns of young Singaporean children using cluster analysis. An existing dataset included 15,820 items consumed by 561 participants (aged 6-12 years) over 2 days of dietary recall. Thirty-seven food groups were defined and expressed as a percentage contribution of total energy. Dietary patterns were identified using k-means cluster analysis. Three clusters were identified, Western, Convenience and Local/hawker, none of which were defined by more prudent dietary choices. The Convenience cluster group had the lowest total energy intake (mean 85.8 +/- SD 25.3% of Average Requirement for Energy) compared to the other groups (95.4 +/- 25.9% for Western and 93.4 +/- 25.3% for Local/hawker, p < 0.001) but also had the lowest calcium intake (66.3 +/- 34.7% of Recommended Dietary Allowance), similar to intake in the Local/hawker group (69.5 +/- 38.9%) but less than the Western group (82.8 +/- 36.1%, p < 0.001). These findings highlight the need for longitudinal analysis of dietary habit in younger Singaporeans in order to better define public health messaging targeted at reducing risk of major noncommunicable disease.

Automated summary

Pattern analysis of children's diet can provide insights into chronic disease risk in adolescence and adulthood. In this study, three main dietary patterns were identified in young Singaporean children: Western, Convenience, and Local/hawker. The findings highlight the importance of longitudinal analysis of dietary habits in younger Singaporeans to better define public health messaging aimed at reducing the risk of major noncommunicable diseases.