# Trajectories of appetitive traits and dietary patterns from childhood to adolescence: findings from the Generation XXI birth cohort

## TL;DR

This study shows how children's eating behaviors and traits are linked to their dietary patterns as they grow into adolescence.

## Contribution

The study identifies specific appetitive trait profiles and their associations with long-term dietary patterns in children.

## Key findings

- Children with a 'Small appetite but increasing' profile had 54% higher odds of following an unhealthy dietary trajectory.
- Profiles with strong food approach traits were linked to healthier dietary choices.
- Two main dietary trajectories were identified: 'Predominantly Healthier' and 'Predominantly Energy-Dense Foods'.

## Abstract

This study examined the association between appetitive trait profiles and dietary patterns from childhood to early adolescence.

We included 5040 participants from the Generation XXI cohort (Porto, Portugal). Appetitive traits were assessed at ages 7, 10, and 13 with the validated Children’s Eating Behaviour Questionnaire. Six trajectory-based profiles were previously identified: “Smallest appetite”, “Small appetite but increasing”, “Small to moderate appetite”, “Moderate appetite”, “Increasing appetite”, and “Avid appetite”. A validated Food Frequency Questionnaire collected dietary intake at ages 4, 7, 10, and 13. Latent class analyses identified dietary patterns at each age and dietary patterns trajectories across childhood. Multinomial logistic regression assessed the association of appetitive trait profiles and dietary patterns.

Three dietary patterns (“Healthier”, “Lower Consumption”, and “Energy-Dense Foods” (EDF)) and two trajectories from 4 to 13 years (“Predominantly Healthier” and “Predominantly EDF”) were identified. Compared with the “Moderate appetite” profile, children in the “Small appetite but increasing” (characterised by food avoidance and high Desire to Drink) had 54% higher odds of the “Predominantly EDF” trajectory. Conversely, individuals in the “Small to moderate appetite” profile (lowest food approach and emotional eating, suggestive of better appetite regulation) and “Avid appetite” profile were less likely to follow the “Predominantly EDF” trajectory.

Appetitive trait profiles are linked to dietary patterns from childhood to adolescence. Food avoidance combined with a high Desire to Drink predicted less healthy diets, while stronger food approach traits and a profile indicative of improved appetite regulation were linked to healthier dietary choices.

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s00394-026-03947-3.