Correlation of Dietary Fiber Intake with BMI-for-age Percentile Score of Elementary School Children

Abstract

Background: Childhood obesity still remain as one of the most prominent health challenges, especially in the 21st century. Dietary fiber is well known to contribute beneficial effects on obesity through increasing satiety, lowering energy density, improving gut health, stabilizing blood sugar levels, and regulating lipid metabolism. This research aims to evaluate the correlation of dietary fiber intake and BMI-for-age percentile score of elementary school children in Indonesia. Methods: This study is a cross-sectional study that obtained secondary data from The South East Asian Nutrition Survey (SEANUTS) II study. In order to examine the relationship between dietary fibre intake and BMI-for-age percentile score, this study gathered data from children aged 7 to 12 who took part in the SEANUTS II study. This data included information on the children's daily dietary fibre intake, weight, height, gender, as well as information on their physical activity status and macronutrient intake. Results: One hundred and fifty three children were selected (64 male children and 89 female children) through a simple random sampling manner. All participants' daily dietary fibre consumption revealed that none exceeded the Angka Kecukupan Gizi (AKG) 2019 recommended standard. In spite of the fact that based on bivariate analysis, a significant correlation between carbohydrate intake and BMI-for-age percentile score was observed (p=0.046; r=0.137). Gender (p-value = 0.013) and carbohydrate intake (p-value = 0.006) were also significantly correlated with BMI-for-age percentile score, according to multivariate analysis. Conclusion: This study concluded that the daily dietary fiber intake of elementary school children aged 7-12 years in Indonesia is still below the Indonesian AKG (Angka Kecukupan Gizi) 2019 reference, resulting an indistinct correlation between dietary fiber intake and BMI-for-age percentile score. Parents should be more aware of the necessity of dietary fiber consumption, especially in children.