Are sun exposure time, dietary patterns, and vitamin D intake related to the socioeconomic status of Portuguese children?

Elizabete A. dos Santos, Lígia Araújo Martini Cavalheiro, Daniela Rodrigues, Aristides Machado-Rodrigues, Maria Raquel Silva, Helena Nogueira, Cristina Padez

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Objectives: To investigate the association among sun exposure time, vitamin D intake, dietary patterns, and socioeconomic status in Portuguese children. Methods: Participants aged 3–11 years (50.1% females) were recruited from public and private schools (n = 118) in the districts of Coimbra (n = 2980), Lisbon (n = 3066), and Porto (n = 2426). Parents reported their children's daily sun exposure time during the summer season and reported children's food consumption, including vitamin D food sources, using standardized questionnaires. Parents' education level was used as a proxy measure to the socioeconomic status (SES). The principal component factor analysis (PCA) method was used to identify dietary patterns. The eight dietary patterns identified were labeled in: “fast food”, “rich in vitamin D”, “sugary drinks”, “vitamin D”, “candies”, “supplements”, “rich in calcium” and “vegetables/healthy”. Linear regression analyses were performed to investigate the association between sun exposure time and dietary patterns according to SES. Results: A total of 4755 children were included. Children from high SES had significantly longer sun exposure time (p <.001) and more frequently consumed vitamin D supplements (p <.001). “Fast food” pattern showed a negative association with sun exposure time in medium and high SES (p =.014 and p <.001, respectively). Conclusion: Children with lower SES spend less time exposed to the sun, consume fewer dietary sources of vitamin D, and consume more foods rich in fat and sugar.

Original languageEnglish
Article numbere24109
JournalAmerican Journal of Human Biology
DOIs
Publication statusAccepted/In press - 2024

Keywords

  • children
  • dietary patterns
  • socioeconomic status
  • sun exposure
  • vitamin D

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