title: Food frequency information--relationships to body composition and apparent growth in 4-year-old children in the Pacific Island Family Study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To record at the 4-year measurement point for the Pacific Island Family Study the most frequently eaten foods and to identify associations with growth and body composition.
  
  
  METHODS
  A food frequency questionnaire relating to consumption of 111 foods over a 4 week period was administered to the 739 children, to be completed by a parent. Body composition of the children was measured by anthropometry and body fatness by bioimpedance analysis. Patterns of association between body composition and food frequency were examined using correlation analyses.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The foods most frequently consumed were bread (1.32 times/day) and total milk (1.63), followed by breakfast cereal (0.83), and fruits (0.78-0.83). 77% of respondents consumed white bread only while 85% consumed standard milk and 7% consumed milk less than once a month or never. Recommended frequency of consumption for fruit was attained by 60%, while only 35% achieved the recommended level for vegetables. Traditional Pacific food consumption made up 5% of the dietary pattern. Protein consumption was positively associated with weight and BMI at 4 years, along with weight gain (0 to 4 years), while frequency of fat consumption was negatively correlated with these variables, in addition to body fat %. Dairy consumption showed a positive correlation with body fat % and BMI.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This diet and body size analysis as part of a longitudinal study provides practical evidence to inform practical dietary advice and food policies. Further research is needed to explore association of growth with food patterns and quality.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Physical Activity and Nutrition Research, Faculty of Health and Environmental Sciences, Auckland University of Technology, Private Bag Box 92006 Auckland, New Zealand 1142. erush@aut.ac.nz
authors.forename: Elaine
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Rush
authors.forename: Janis
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Paterson
authors.forename: Vladimir
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Obolonkin
mesh_terms: D001823:Body Composition; D001827:Body Height; D001835:Body Weight; D002675:Child, Preschool; D015331:Cohort Studies; D004032:Diet; D004034:Diet Surveys; D005260:Female; D006128:Growth; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D009520:New Zealand; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires