Assessment of the Correlation Between Mother and Child Body Mass Index and Mother and Child Diet in Children With Food Allergies

BACKGROUND: Children with food allergies (FA children) tend to be smaller in size, mothers of FA children (FA mothers) tend to have a significantly lower body mass index (BMI) than those of non-FA children (N mothers), and FA mothers’ diets tend to be synchronous with the substitute diets for their children. The study aims to examine the correlation between the diets of FA children and FA mothers as well as the BMI of FA mothers. METHODS: In total, 41 pairs of FA children (age: 6.5 ± 2.5 years) and FA mothers (FA group) and 37 pairs of children without food allergies (N children, age: 7.0 ± 2.7 years) and N mothers (N group) were included. BMIs of mothers and children, nutrient intake adequacy, correlation of meal content between mothers and children, and sampling of the combined dietary patterns of mothers and children were compared and contrasted to identify factors that affected the BMIs of FA mothers. RESULTS: There were no differences in BMI between the two groups of children, confirming the typical growth of FA children. BMIs of FA mothers were significantly smaller than those of N mothers (P = 0.038). The intake adequacy of sweets was significantly higher in FA mothers than in N mothers (P = 0.041). The correlation of meal contents between mothers and children was significantly higher in the FA group than in the N group (P = 0.019). However, there was a discrepancy in the combined dietary patterns (first principal component) between mothers and children in the FA group. There was a significant negative correlation between the BMIs of FA mothers and responses to the use of substitute food (P = 0.016). CONCLUSIONS: Low BMI in FA mothers may be related to substitute diets that differ from those of the FA children, consumption of sweets in dietary habits, and the use of substitute food.