Factors Associated with Height-Promoting Dietary Practices Among Japanese Preschool Children: A Web-Based Cross-Sectional Study.

Background/

Objectives

Parents of preschool children may adopt dietary practices intended to promote height growth. However, the correlates of such practices in the general population remain unclear.

Methods

This web-based cross-sectional study included 1362 mothers of Japanese children aged 3-5 years. Mothers were assigned to the height-related dietary practice group if they had ever used dietary practices to promote their child's height growth; all other mothers were classified into the no-practice group. The questionnaire assessed child and parental characteristics, including anthropometric measurements, history of short stature (height < -2 SD at any time point), history of food allergy, maternal information-seeking behavior regarding child growth, and current dietary intake. Associations with height-related dietary practices were examined using a multiple logistic regression analysis.

Results

In total, 531 mothers (39.0%) were classified into the practice group. Older child age, history of short stature, history of food allergy, and information-seeking behavior were positively associated with height-related dietary practices, whereas parental height was inversely associated. Milk and dairy products are the most frequently used foods for height promotion. Children in the practice group were more likely to meet the cutoffs for milk/dairy products and fish, but their overall attainment was low. In the analyses of retrospectively reported height SD score trajectories, no group-by-time interactions were observed.

Conclusions

Height-related dietary practices were associated with growth-related concerns and parental characteristics rather than differential height gain over time. Health guidance may help parents adopt balanced diets that support overall nutrition and healthy growth rather than focusing on specific foods.