Dietary pattern and its’ association with anemia among infants aged 6-23 months in central-south China. 

Abstract Backgroud: Anemia is widely prevalent among children, and this study aims to understand dietary patterns and its’ association with anemia.Methods: A cross-sectional design in two time period was conducted at Mayang in 2015 and in 2018. The diet data was collected by questionnaire, and dietary patterns were identified by exploratory factor analysis. Hemoglobin (Hb) was measured to assess the status of anemia. The association between the dietary patterns and anemia was assessed by the logistic regression model.Results: The mean age of infants were 14.06 months in 2015 and 16.58 months in 2018. Four dietary patterns were identified among infants aged 6-23 months in central-south China. Diversified pattern: mainly tubers, dairy products, bean and bean products; traditional pattern:mainly cereals, water and soup, and other vegetables and fruits; breast milk pattern: mainly breast milk but less powered formulas; and multi-nutrient powders pattern: mainly multi-nutrient powders. The prevalence of anemia among infant reduced from 29.49% in 2015 to 20.26% in 2018. The top quartile (Q4) of diversified pattern and multi-nutrient powders pattern deminished the risk of anemia by 45% (OR = 0.55, 95% CI: 0.30 to 0.99, P = 0.047) and 59% (OR = 0.41,95% CI: 0.22 to 0.78, P = 0.006) compared to the lowest quartile (Q1), while the breast milk pattern had a 3.26-fold greater risk of anemia than the lowest quartile (Q1) (OR = 3.26,95%CI:1.83 to 5.81, P <0.001).Conclusions: Four dietary patterns were identified among infants aged 6-23 months in central-south China. The pattern with a variety of food groups should be strengthened to improve anemia among infants.