The temporal relationship between socioeconomic vulnerability, dietary intake and childhood obesity: longitudinal results from the Feel4Diabetes-study

Purpose To examine the temporal relationship between socioeconomic vulnerability, dietary intake, and childhood obesity in European children using longitudinal data. Methods 1,796 parent–child dyads from the control group of the Feel4Diabetes study in six European countries were assessed at baseline (2016) and two follow-ups (2017, 2018). Socioeconomic vulnerability was measured using a cumulative index of parental education, employment, and income security. Children’s dietary intake was reported by parents via a food frequency questionnaire, and BMI z-scores were objectively measured. Cross-lagged panel models tested temporal relationships between socioeconomic vulnerability and dietary intake, while moderation analyses assessed if diet moderated the socioeconomic vulnerability–BMI relationship. Results Higher socioeconomic vulnerability predicted poorer dietary patterns over time, with lower intake of meat (β = −0.100) and fruits, vegetables, legumes (β = −0.119), and higher consumption of salty snacks (β = 0.129) and sweets/sweetened beverages (β = 0.084, all p < 0.001). Reverse diet-to- socioeconomic vulnerability associations were mostly non-significant. Meat intake also moderated the baseline socioeconomic vulnerability–BMI association (interaction p < 0.05). Conclusions Socioeconomic vulnerability influences children’s dietary behaviors and contributes to obesity risk over time. These findings underscore the need for public health interventions targeting vulnerable populations to improve diet quality and reduce health disparities. Trial registration: The Feel4Diabetes-study is registered with the clinical trials registry (NCT02393872), http://clinicaltrials.gov