Characterizing whole diets of young children from developed countries and the association between diet and health: A systematic review

Abstract

Early childhood is an important nutritional period that involves the transition from a milk-based diet to ordinary foods. A systematic review was conducted of studies that applied whole-of-diet analysis of children aged 1-5 years to examine associations between diet and nutrition, health, and development. Literature searches identified 40 articles using dietary indices, principal component analysis, or cluster analysis. Reports that applied indices (n=23, 18 indices) were cross-sectional, and most measured diet quality or variety. Articles reporting principal component or cluster analyses (n=17) described between two and six dietary patterns, and most identified healthy, unhealthy, and tradi..