Associations of dietary patterns in Chinese adolescents and children with later obesity have not previously been investigated. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the associations between dietary patterns and the risk of obesity in Chinese adolescents and children by using a longitudinal design. Data from the China Health and Nutrition Survey (CHNS), a nationally representative survey, were used for our analysis. 489 participants 6–14 years of age were followed from 2006 to 2011. Factor analysis was used to identify the dietary patterns in Chinese adolescents and children. Ordered logistic regression models were used to examine the association between dietary patterns and later obesity. Two dietary patterns were revealed by factor analysis, the traditional Chinese dietary pattern (with high intake of rice, vegetables, poultry, pork and fish and the modern dietary pattern (with high intake of wheat, processed meat and fast food). Children in the highest quartile and the second-highest quartile of the traditional Chinese dietary pattern was inversely associated with later obesity compared with children in the lowest quartile over 5 years (OR = 0.19, 95%CI: 0.09, 0.40 for Q4; OR = 0.47, 95%CI: 0.33, 0.67 for Q3); Children in the highest quartile of the modern dietary pattern was positively associated with later obesity compared with children in the lowest quartile over 5 years (OR = 2.02, 95%CI: 1.17, 3.48). Dietary patterns in Chinese adolescents and children are associated with later obesity. These findings further confirm the importance of children’s dietary patterns in later obesity and lay groundwork for dietary culture-specific interventions targeted at reducing rates of obesity in children and adolescents.

Background: Most studies related to food addiction have focused on assessing food addiction among adult populations. However, evidence in adolescents has been limited. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of food addiction in a non-clinical adolescent sample. Psychosocial correlations of food addiction and associations with different quality of life dimensions were also tested. Methods: The sample included 593 Chinese adolescents (51.9% female; age range: 13–17 years). All participants provided sociodemographic information and completed questionnaires regarding food addiction, depression, self-esteem, loneliness, psychosocial problems, and quality of life (QoL). Results: The prevalence of food addiction was 6.91% in our sample. A multivariable logistic regression indicated that food addiction was associated with depression (AOR = 2.58; 95% CI: 1.32–5.05), low self-esteem (AOR = 2.75; 95% CI: 1.31–5.78), and loneliness (AOR = 2.30; 95% CI: 1.14–4.65). After multivariable adjustments for sociodemographic and psychological variables, food addiction was associated with lower overall QoL and psychosocial health of QoL. Conclusions: Food addiction may be common among Chinese adolescents. Food addiction was associated with depression, low self-esteem, and loneliness. Lastly, food addiction was also associated with lower overall QoL and psychosocial health of QoL. Future public health programs and interventions consider targeting the factors associated with food addiction to increase healthy eating behaviors among adolescents.

This study aims to explore the longitudinal relationship between solid fuel use and CMD incidence based on a nationally representative follow-up cohort study. A total of 6038 participants of the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS) were enrolled in the study. CMD is a cluster of diseases that include heart disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes. Cox proportional-hazards regression models were used to examine the association between solid fuel use and the incidence or multimorbidity of CMD. The interactions between overweight or obesity and household air pollution on CMD incidence were also investigated. In the present study, solid fuel use from cooking or heating, separately or simultaneously, was positively associated with CMD incidence. Elevated solid fuel use was significantly associated with a higher risk of CMD incidence (HR = 1.25, 95% CI: 1.09, 1.43 for cooking; HR = 1.27, 95% CI: 1.11, 1.45 for heating). A statistically significant interaction between household solid fuel and OW/OB on the incidence of CMD and Cardiometabolic multimorbidity was also observed (p < 0.05). Our findings show that household solid fuel is a risk factor for the incidence of CMD. Therefore, reducing household solid fuel use and promoting clean energy may have great public health value for the prevention of CMD.