Association of Weight Status with Dietary Intake and Dietary Diversity Score in 10 - 12-Year-Old Children in Tehran: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background: Obesity in school-aged children has become a major public health concern. Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the relationship between weight status, dietary behavior and diet diversity in 10 to 12- year-old students in the city of Tehran. Methods: The sample included 487 students (51.8% girls) aged 10 - 12 years.Weight, height as well as age- and sex-specific BMI z-scores were determined. Demographics (sex, age, birth order and parental age) and socioeconomic characteristics (family size, parents’ educational level, occupation, ethnicity and housing status) were assessed by a questionnaire. Dietary intake was assessed through interview using 3-day 24-hours dietary recalls. Results: Based on the BMI z-scores of the children, 1.9%, 47.9%, 27.2% and 22.8% were thin, normal, overweight and obese, respectively. In boys, mother’s educational level; and among girls, being at post-menarche stage and paternal job position were significantly associated with their weight status (P = 0.08, P = 0.05, P = 0.05, respectively). Boys in the lowest tertile for energy intake were at lower risk of obesity (OR = 0.04; 95% CI: 0.02 - 0.97) and those in the middle tertile of grains diversity score had a greater risk of obesity (OR = 5.84; 95% CI: 1.29 - 26.42) in comparison with those in the highest tertile. In girls, those in the lowest tertile of dairy diversity had higher risk of overweight compared to those in the highest tertile (OR = 9.77; 95% CI: 1.60 - 58.57). Conclusions: Findings indicate that energy intake and dietary diversity can affect the risk of overweight and obesity in preadolescents. Further studies are required to explore a more generalizable relationship between dietary intake and weight.