Table 4.
Differences in Participants’ Characteristics and Consummption Proportions of Food and Beverage Groups by Predominant Dietary Patterns (N = 3373)
| Variables | “Sugar-sweetened beverage and snack” pattern | “Chinese traditional” pattern | “Health conscious” pattern | “Snack” pattern | F values/Chi-square valuesa | P values |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Participants’ characteristics | ||||||
| Children’s age (years), mean (SD) | 4.34 (0.64) | 4.21 (0.68) | 4.18 (0.66) | 4.23 (0.69) | 8.894 | < 0.001 |
| Children’s gender, n (%) | 7.727 | 0.052 | ||||
| Boy | 377 (53.17) | 504 (53.79) | 455 (54.17) | 429 (48.37) | ||
| Girl | 332 (46.83) | 433 (46.21) | 385 (45.83) | 458 (51.63) | ||
| Children’s BMI (kg/m2), M (Q1, Q2) | 15.44 (14.54, 16.47) | 15.26 (14.48, 16.22) | 15.23 (14.43, 16.12) | 15.42 (14.56, 16.29) | 13.156 | 0.004 |
| Children’s weight status, n (%) | 17.068 | < 0.001 | ||||
| Underweight or normal-weight | 625 (88.15) | 873 (93.17) | 783 (93.21) | 816 (92.00) | ||
| Overweight | 54 (7.62) | 39 (4.16) | 35 (4.17) | 51 (5.75) | ||
| Obesity | 30 (4.23) | 25 (2.67) | 22 (2.62) | 20 (2.25) | ||
| Parents’ SES scoresb, M (Q1, Q2) | ||||||
| Father | 63.7 (59.3, 69.3) | 67.7 (62.5, 69.5) | 67.7 (62.5, 69.3) | 66.7 (62.1, 69.3) | 44.921 | < 0.001 |
| Mother | 64.6 (61.4, 69.8) | 69.5 (64.6, 71.4) | 69.5 (64.6, 71.4) | 69.5 (64.6, 71.4) | 53.407 | < 0.001 |
| Parents’ weight status, n (%) | ||||||
| Father | 5.407 | 0.144 | ||||
| Underweight or normal weight | 259 (36.53) | 368 (39.27) | 322 (38.33) | 327 (36.87) | ||
| Overweight | 287 (40.48) | 384 (40.98) | 376 (44.76) | 347 (39.12) | ||
| Obesity | 122 (17.21) | 147 (15.69) | 107 (12.74) | 172 (19.39) | ||
| Data missing | 41 (5.78) | 38 (4.06) | 35 (4.17) | 41 (4.62) | ||
| Mother | 14.862 | 0.002 | ||||
| Underweight or normal weight | 527 (74.33) | 732 (78.12) | 695 (82.74) | 692 (78.02) | ||
| Overweight | 122 (17.21) | 149 (15.90) | 104 (12.38) | 132 (14.88) | ||
| Obesity | 29 (4.09) | 21 (2.24) | 16 (1.90) | 27 (3.04) | ||
| Data missing | 31 (4.37) | 35 (3.74) | 25 (2.98) | 36 (4.06) | ||
| Consumption proportions of food and beverage groupsb, n (%) | ||||||
| Fruits | 708 (99.86) | 937 (100.00) | 839 (99.88) | 886 (99.89) | 1.195 | 0.750 |
| Vegetables | 709 (100.00) | 937 (100.00) | 838 (99.76) | 884 (99.66) | 5.067 | 0.170 |
| Dark-green vegetables | 706 (99.58) | 937 (100.00) | 834 (99.29) | 879 (99.10) | 8.542 | 0.036 |
| Other dark-color vegetables | 709 (100.00) | 937 (100.00) | 840 (100.00) | 877 (98.87) | 27.988 | < 0.001 |
| Fresh fruit/vegetable juice | 646 (91.11) | 751 (80.15) | 764 (90.95) | 697 (78.58) | 88.354 | < 0.001 |
| Soybean milk | 586 (82.65) | 610 (65.10) | 668 (79.52) | 458 (51.63) | 232.325 | < 0.001 |
| Milk | 687 (96.90) | 911 (97.23) | 835 (99.40) | 855 (96.39) | 18.216 | < 0.001 |
| Yogurt or other dairy products | 694 (97.88) | 921 (98.29) | 835 (99.40) | 874 (98.53) | 6.878 | 0.076 |
| Flavored milk drinks | 579 (81.66) | 398 (42.48) | 367 (43.69) | 495 (55.81) | 313.913 | < 0.001 |
| Carbonated drinks | 404 (56.98) | 173 (18.46) | 95 (11.31) | 222 (25.03) | 488.557 | < 0.001 |
| Flavored fruit/vegetable drinks | 565 (79.69) | 390 (41.62) | 315 (37.50) | 523 (58.96) | 347.720 | < 0.001 |
| Tea drinks | 344 (48.52) | 113 (12.06) | 68 (8.10) | 166 (18.71) | 478.026 | < 0.001 |
| Plant-protein drinks | 513 (72.36) | 279 (29.78) | 365 (43.45) | 341 (38.44) | 317.776 | < 0.001 |
| Sweets | 686 (96.76) | 886 (94.56) | 808 (96.19) | 883 (99.55) | 37.072 | < 0.001 |
| Pastries | 680 (95.91) | 898 (95.84) | 828 (98.57) | 883 (99.55) | 37.337 | < 0.001 |
| Puffed foods | 596 (84.06) | 563 (60.09) | 474 (56.43) | 779 (87.82) | 327.716 | < 0.001 |
| Fried foods | 631 (89.00) | 667 (71.18) | 566 (67.38) | 822 (92.67) | 248.043 | < 0.001 |
| Western fast foods | 622 (87.73) | 719 (76.73) | 660 (78.57) | 800 (90.19) | 82.033 | < 0.001 |
| Nuts | 668 (94.22) | 874 (93.28) | 830 (98.81) | 837 (94.36) | 34.076 | < 0.001 |
| Wheat or wheat foods | 609 (85.90) | 770 (82.18) | 821 (97.74) | 730 (82.30) | 121.404 | < 0.001 |
| Meat or poultry | 700 (98.73) | 936 (99.89) | 837 (99.64) | 886 (99.89) | 16.662 | < 0.001 |
| Fishery products | 686 (96.76) | 927 (98.93) | 833 (99.17) | 876 (98.76) | 18.684 | < 0.001 |
| Other protein-rich foods | 703 (99.15) | 936 (99.89) | 840 (100.00) | 880 (99.21) | 11.891 | 0.008 |
Abbreviations: SD: standard deviation; BMI: body mass index; M (Q1, Q2): median (25th and 75th percentiles); SES: socioeconomic status
Notes: aChi-square values of the Kruskal-Wallis tests for children’s body mass index and weight status, and parents’ socioeconomic status scores were adjusted for ties; bMissing data exists