Table 1 Participant characteristics according to top and bottom quartiles of dietary pattern score at 7 years of age

n (%)

1449 (26.8)

1222 (22.6)

1378 (25.5)

1343 (24.9)

1267 (23.5)

1385 (25.6)

Male, n (%)

678 (46.8)

634 (51.9)

737 (53.5)

619 (46.1)

666 (52.6)

683 (49.3)

Index of Multiple Deprivation, n (%)

 Q1: Least deprived

520 (40.5)

290 (26.0)

399 (32.2)

394 (32.5)

294 (25.5)

471 (38.6)

 Q5: Most deprived

144 (11.2)

169 (15.1)

189 (15.2)

154 (12.7)

169 (14.6)

154 (12.6)

Place of residence, n (%)

 Urban

1006 (69.4)

979 (80.1)

1070 (77.6)

1008 (75.1)

1009 (79.6)

984 (71.0)

 Rural

295 (20.4)

144 (11.8)

181 (13.1)

214 (15.9)

153 (12.1)

247 (17.8)

Older siblings, n (%)

718 (49.6)

646 (52.9)

704 (51.1)

713 (53.1)

640 (50.5)

717 (51.8)

Younger siblings, n (%)

749 (51.7)

659 (53.9)

695 (50.4)

716 (53.3)

663 (52.3)

717 (51.8)

Breastfeeding by the 3rd month, n (%)

 Never

131 (9.0)

260 (21.3)

230 (16.7)

183 (13.6)

288 (22.7)

93 (6.7)

 Stopped/Non-exclusive

630 (43.5)

600 (49.1)

622 (45.1)

640 (47.7)

617 (48.7)

594 (42.9)

 Exclusive

620 (42.8)

299 (24.5)

456 (33.1)

458 (34.1)

310 (24.5)

617 (44.5)

Vigorous physical activity, n (%)

  < 3 times a week

590 (40.7)

526 (43.0)

634 (46.0)

524 (39.0)

585 (46.2)

510 (36.8)

 4–6 times a week

361 (24.9)

243 (19.9)

276 (20.0)

316 (23.5)

235 (18.5)

349 (25.2)

 Daily

146 (10.1)

118 (9.7)

130 (9.4)

142 (10.6)

106 (8.4)

168 (12.1)

BMI, kg/m²

16.1 ± 1.9

16.3 ± 2.1

16.1 ± 2.0

16.2 ± 1.9

16.1 ± 2.0

16.1 ± 1.9

BMI at 9 years, kg/m²

17.4 ± 2.6

17.7 ± 2.9

17.6 ± 2.9

17.7 ± 2.7

17.6 ± 2.9

17.4 ± 2.6

FMI at 9 years, kg/m^x

1.23 ± 0.7

1.28 ± 0.8

1.25 ± 0.8

1.30 ± 0.8

1.27 ± 0.8

1.20 ± 0.7

History of food allergy, n (%)

324 (22.4)

183 (15.0)

233 (16.9)

230 (17.1)

182 (14.4)

289 (20.9)

Atopy, n (%)

224 (20.6)

180 (20.6)

209 (20.5)

189 (18.7)

175 (19.6)

231 (21.3)

Season of dietary information collection^†, n (%)

 Winter

411 (28.4)

285 (23.3)

333 (24.2)

353 (26.3)

338 (26.7)

331 (23.9)

 Spring

424 (29.3)

347 (28.4)

419 (30.4)

383 (28.5)

397 (31.3)

411 (29.7)

 Summer

354 (24.4)

412 (33.7)

407 (29.5)

368 (27.4)

340 (26.8)

410 (29.6)

 Autumn

243 (16.8)

166 (13.6)

202 (14.7)

226 (16.8)

187 (14.8)

210 (15.2)

Any dietary supplement use, n (%)

539 (37.2)

371 (30.4)

521 (37.8)

406 (30.2)

302 (23.8)

565 (40.8)

Total energy intake, kJ/day

6592 ± 1417

9046 ± 1773

6980 ± 1642

8457 ± 1838

6931 ± 1540

8319 ± 1899

Total antioxidant capacity, μmol of TE/d

7894 ± 1937

7297 ± 1997

7173 ± 1982

8003 ± 2002

6826 ± 1612

8359 ± 2116

Vitamin C intake, mg/d

83.8 ± 31.1

70.7 ± 32.5

69.2 ± 30.3

88.3 ± 32.8

64.1 ± 24.5

90.3 ± 34.4

Vitamin D intake, mg/d

2.93 ± 0.8

2.71 ± 0.8

2.70 ± 0.8

3.03 ± 0.9

2.78 ± 0.7

2.92 ± 0.9

Vitamin E intake, mg/d

9.91 ± 2.9

9.65 ± 3.0

9.98 ± 3.2

9.71 ± 2.9

9.62 ± 2.9

9.98 ± 3.0

β-carotene intake, μg/d

2326 ± 852

1635 ± 811

1516 ± 728

2508 ± 918

1790 ± 753

2199 ± 947

Zinc intake, mg/d

6.81 ± 0.9

6.00 ± 1.0

5.83 ± 0.9

7.00 ± 1.0

6.19 ± 0.9

6.68 ± 1.0

Selenium intake, μg/d

68.7 ± 14.2

59.8 ± 14.0

62.1 ± 14.0

68.2 ± 15.1

62.6 ± 12.1

68.6 ± 15.9

VLC n-3 PUFA intake from fish, mg/d

98.0 ± 96.9

65.5 ± 81.2

57.0 ± 61.9

113 ± 115

57.9 ± 55.4

111 ± 115

Preformed vitamin A intake, μg/d

485 ± 125

429 ± 182

448 ± 135

469 ± 158

442 ± 127

469 ± 158

Dietary fibre intake, g/d

12.9 ± 2.5

10.3 ± 2.2

10.7 ± 2.6

12.4 ± 2.5

10.2 ± 1.7

13.2 ± 2.7

Maternal smoking, n (%)

 No

1203 (83.0)

918 (75.1)

1098 (79.7)

1049 (78.1)

974 (76.9)

1130 (81.6)

 Yes

193 (13.3)

248 (20.3)

235 (17.1)

231 (17.2)

244 (19.3)

201 (14.5)

Parental factors in pregnancy

 Maternal age, year

30.2 ± 4.4

28.3 ± 4.4

29.6 ± 4.5

29.0 ± 4.5

28.6 ± 4.5

30.2 ± 4.5

 Maternal education, n (%)

  Secondary or vocational

199 (13.7)

322 (26.4)

288 (20.9)

253 (18.8)

379 (29.9)

147 (10.6)

  O level

374 (25.8)

498 (40.8)

459 (33.3)

478 (35.6)

522 (41.2)

354 (25.6)

  A level or degree

864 (59.6)

381 (31.2)

613 (44.5)

593 (44.2)

346 (27.3)

869 (62.7)

 Housing tenure, n (%)

  Mortgaged/owned

1220 (84.2)

987 (80.8)

1115 (80.9)

1133 (84.4)

1042 (82.2)

1154 (83.3)

  Council rented

65 (4.5)

113 (9.2)

93 (6.7)

79 (5.9)

118 (9.3)

59 (4.3)

  Non-council rented

103 (7.1)

65 (5.3)

114 (8.3)

67 (5.0)

55 (4.3)

122 (8.8)

 Financial difficulty, n (%)

  No

1226 (84.6)

1000 (81.8)

1154 (83.7)

1110 (82.7)

1087 (85.8)

1147 (82.8)

  Yes

216 (14.9)

216 (17.7)

215 (15.6)

229 (17.1)

175 (13.8)

229 (16.5)

 Maternal ethnicity, n (%)

  White

1399 (96.5)

1189 (97.3)

1337 (97.0)

1299 (96.7)

1235 (97.5)

1335 (96.4)

  Non-white

33 (2.3)

13 (1.1)

26 (1.9)

23 (1.7)

10 (0.8)

33 (2.4)

 Maternal history of atopy, n (%)

  No

713 (49.2)

647 (52.9)

716 (52.0)

710 (52.9)

689 (54.4)

684 (49.4)

  Yes

688 (47.5)

535 (43.8)

619 (44.9)

580 (43.2)

537 (42.4)

644 (46.5)

 Paternal history of atopy, n (%)

  No

644 (44.4)

540 (44.2)

565 (41.0)

578 (43.0)

552 (43.6)

609 (44.0)

  Yes

468 (32.3)

344 (28.2)

452 (32.8)

394 (29.3)

373 (29.4)

440 (31.8)

 Maternal ‘Processed’ dietary pattern score

− 0.42 ± 0.7

0.21 ± 1.0

− 0.15 ± 1.0

− 0.08 ± 0.9

− 0.00 ± 1.0

− 0.26 ± 0.9

 Maternal ‘Traditional’ dietary pattern score

0.05 ± 1.0

− 0.03 ± 1.0

− 0.24 ± 0.9

0.35 ± 1.1

− 0.12 ± 0.9

0.17 ± 1.1

 Maternal ‘Healthy’ dietary pattern score

0.46 ± 0.9

0.01 ± 0.9

0.15 ± 1.0

0.31 ± 1.0

− 0.27 ± 0.8

0.73 ± 0.9