Analysis of the current status of bone density among primary and secondary school students and its influencing factors

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to find out the dietary intake of schoolchildren by means of questionnaires and bone densitometry, and to investigate the correlation between dietary intake and bone density. RESULTS This study found that BMD among school-age children increased with age. Boys had generally higher BMD than girls. Among children with normal body type, BMI was positively associated with BMD, whereas among overweight and obese children, BMI was negatively associated with BMD. Multivariate regression analysis showed that consuming at least one egg per day (β = 0.011, 95% CI: 0.003–0.019) and at least two servings of fruit per day (β = 0.009, 95% CI: 0.001–0.017) were independent protective factors for BMD. Notably, high intake of dairy products did not show significant benefits in the overweight/obese group (p > 0.05), suggesting that body type may attenuate the beneficial effects of dietary calcium.