Assessment of diet quality in children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes

Sanaa El-Jamal; Houda Elfane; Hamid Chamlal; Imane Barakat; Halima Daif; Mohamed Mziwira; Aziz Fassouane; Rekia Belahsen

doi:10.32394/rpzh.2022.0229

Assessment of diet quality in children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes

Rocz Panstw Zakl Hig. 2022;73(4):413-422. doi: 10.32394/rpzh.2022.0229.

Authors

Sanaa El-Jamal¹, Houda Elfane¹, Hamid Chamlal¹, Imane Barakat¹, Halima Daif¹, Mohamed Mziwira^{1

2}, Aziz Fassouane^{1

3}, Rekia Belahsen¹

Affiliations

¹ Laboratory of Biotechnology, Biochemistry and Nutrition, Training and Research Unit on Nutrition and Food Sciences, Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, Chouaib Doukkali University, El Jadida 24 000, Morocco.
² Laboratoire Bio-Géosciences et Ingénierie des Matériaux, École Normale Supérieure, Hassan II University, Casablanca, Morocco.
³ Ibn Zohr University, Agadir, Morocco.

PMID: 36546876
DOI: 10.32394/rpzh.2022.0229

Abstract

Background: Micronutrient malnutrition is a serious public health problem in most developing countries, including Morocco, due to poor and therefore lower quality diets that lack dietary diversity.

Objective: The present study aimed to assess dietary diversity and variety and their relationship with micronutrient adequacy in children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes (T1D).

Materials and methods: A cross-sectional study was carried among 240 children and adolescents with T1D. Weight and height were measured and BMI was calculated. Dietary intake data were obtained from two 24-h recalls. A Dietary diversity (DDS) and dietary variety scores (DVS) and mean adequacy ratio (MAR) and nutritional adequacy ratios (NARs) were calculated and compared according to sociodemographic/anthropometric categories.

Results: 52.1% of the patients were female. The mean age of the patients was 8.49 ± 4.1 years. The mean BMI was 19.44 ± 5.24 kg/m2; the mean DDS was 4.62±1.20 and the mean MAR was 0.66 ± 0.11. Older children living in rural areas have a low DDS/DVS. Parental education and income level are associated with DDS/DVS. General and central obesity were significantly elevated in children with high DDS. In addition, a high intake of vegetables, eggs, fiber and micronutrients (Magnesium, Calcium, Potassium, Zinc, Phosphorus and Vit B1) is associated with a high DDS; however, high DVS is associated with high consumption of dairy products, carbohydrates and low intake of protein and fat. There are also positive correlations between DDS/DVS and NARs for various nutrients.

Conclusion: The quality of the respondents' diets are moderately diversified. DDS or DVS can be used as indicators of micronutrient adequacy in Moroccan T1D children. Nutritional education needs to be strengthened to improve dietary diversity in children, especially in rural areas.

Keywords: T1D; child/adolescent; diet quality; dietary diversity score; dietary variety score; nutritional adequacy.

MeSH terms

Adolescent
Child
Child, Preschool
Cross-Sectional Studies
Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1*
Diet
Eating
Female
Humans
Male
Micronutrients
Nutritional Status
Trace Elements*

Substances

Micronutrients
Trace Elements