Background and objectives: Milk promotes the growth of children's height. However, the relationship between milk consumption and anemia or obesity remain unclear. We explored the association between milk consumption and the nutritional status of poor rural Chinese students, including anemia, height, weight, malnutrition, and overweight/obesity.
Methods and study design: A total of 22,315 students aged 8-16 years were recruited. The frequency of milk consumption and other information were investigated using the questionnaire. Students' morning fasting height, weight, and whole-blood hemoglobin were measured. The children were classified as malnutrition, normal weight, and overweight/obesity according to their age-specific height and BMI. Multivariate linear and multiple logistic regression were used to analyze the association between milk consumption and nutritional status.
Results: In total, 10.6% of students drank milk at least once a day. Compared to students who drank milk <1 time/week, The heights and weights of students who consumed milk 1-3 times/week, 4-6 times/week, and at least once per day were 0.8, 0.9, and 1.3 cm greater and 0.8, 0.6, and 1.0 kg heavier. Students who drank milk at least once a day (OR=0.817), and 1-3 times/week (OR=0.868) had a significantly lower prevalence of malnutrition. Students who drank milk 4-6 times/week (OR=0.472) had a significantly lower prevalence of anemia. However, no significant association was identified between milk consumption and overweight/obesity.
Conclusions: Frequent consumption of milk was associated with these students having a lower risk of malnutrition and anemia, being taller, and being heavier.