Comparative studies on Asian and Caucasian children. 2: Nutrition, feeding practices and health.

The growth of children whose parents originated from the Indian subcontinent (Asians) and of indigenous, white children in Rochdale (Caucasians) has been related to dietary intake which was estimated by 3-day weighed intakes during a longitudinal study at 3, 6, 9, 12 and 24 months of age. The use of human milk vis-à-vis infant milk formulas, the age of introduction of solid food and the effect of other environmental factors were also evaluated. Multiple regression analysis revealed the effects of diet per se on growth to be fairly minimal; a maximum of 28 per cent of the variation in growth could be explained by diet and the few individual nutrients significantly correlated with a growth index were not consistent.