Introduction
Studies showed that improvement of whole grain intake at an early age has the potential to lead to betterment in wellness. This study aimed to investigate the whole grain intake and its association with sugar and nutrients intake among schoolchildren.

Methodology
This cross sectional study was conducted among 415 schoolchildren aged 9-11 years, cluster sampled from randomly selected national primary schools in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Whole grain, sugar and nutrients intakes were assessed by 3-day 24-hour dietary recalls. All whole grain foods were considered irrespective of the amount of whole grain they contained.

Results:
In total, 83.6% (n=347) were whole grain consumers. Median (IqR) daily intake of whole grain was 7.9 (15.5) g/day. Significant positive associations were found between whole grain intake and sugar (r=0.152; p=0.002), calcium (r=00.132; p=0.007), fiber (r=0.134; p=0.006), vitamin A (r=0.119 p=0.015), iron (r=0.118; p=0.011), thiamin (r=0.125; p=0.011), riboflavin (r=0.164; p=0.001) and niacin (r=0.124; p=0.011). Furthermore, whole grain intake was a significant predictor of sugar (β=0.134; p=0.007), vitamin A (β=0.111; p=0.025) and riboflavin (β=0.132; p=0.008), after controlling for sex, age and ethnicity.

Conclusions:
Whole grain intake in schoolchildren was well below the recommendation. Schoolchildren who consumed higher whole grain tend to increase the nutrients intake, as well as sugar intake. Government and policy makers should establish an appropriate whole grain food definition, it will encourage manufacturers to produce foods with meaningful amounts of whole grain, allow consistent product labelling and empower consumers to readily identify low-sugar whole grain foods and achieve whole grain dietary recommendations.

Authors:
Hui Chin Koo, Tunku Abdul Rahman University of Management & Techonology, Malaysia
Geok Pei Lim, Monash University Malaysia, Malaysia
Satvinder Kaur, UCSI University, Malaysia
Kai Quin Chan, Tunku Abdul Rahman University of Management & Technology, Malaysia

About the Presenter(s)
Koo Hui Chin PhD, is an associate professor from Tunku Abdul Rahman University of Management and Technology. She has received several grants to conduct the studies relevant to whole grain, childhood obesity intervention, chrono-nutrition & diabetes.

Connect on Linkedin
https://my.linkedin.com/in/hui-chin-koo-178302252

Connect on ResearchGate
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Hui-Chin-Koo

Additional website of interest
https://scholar.google.com.my/citations?user=CfDKytgAAAAJ&hl=en

See this presentation on the full schedule – Saturday Schedule

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