{"id":{"repo_id":"buffalo","oai_identifier":"oai:ubir.buffalo.edu:10477/86711"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/buffalo/oai:ubir.buffalo.edu:10477/86711","repository":{"repo_id":"buffalo","name":"Buffalo","base_url":"https://ubir.buffalo.edu/oai/request"},"display":{"title":"Longitudinal Dietary Patterns and Physical Growth Trajectories in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders: A National Cohort of Children from Birth to Six Years Old","abstract":"M.S.","abstract_html":"M.S.","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Lieberman, Adam; 0000-0002-0413-8571"],"institution":"State University of New York at Buffalo","degree_name":null,"degree_level":null,"degree_discipline":null,"degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Smith, Laura","Epidemiology and Environmental Health"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2025,"date_issued":"2025-02-21T21:36:44Z","date_published":"2025-02-21T21:36:44Z","updated_at":"2026-07-27T19:05:34Z","subjects":["epidemiology"],"languages":["eng"],"rights":["Users of works found in University at Buffalo Institutional Repository (UBIR) are responsible for identifying and contacting the copyright owner for permission to reuse. University at Buffalo Libraries do not manage rights for copyright-protected works and cannot assist with permissions.","Copyright retained by author."],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"http://hdl.handle.net/10477/86711","outbound_label":"Handle","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Smith, Laura","Epidemiology and Environmental Health"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Lieberman, Adam; 0000-0002-0413-8571"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date","label":"Dc Date","values":["2025-02-21T21:36:44Z","2020"]},{"key":"dc:publisher","label":"Institution","values":["State University of New York at Buffalo"]},{"key":"dc:type","label":"Dc Type","values":["Text","Thesis"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["epidemiology"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:language","label":"Dc Language","values":["eng"]},{"key":"dc:rights","label":"Dc Rights","values":["Users of works found in University at Buffalo Institutional Repository (UBIR) are responsible for identifying and contacting the copyright owner for permission to reuse. University at Buffalo Libraries do not manage rights for copyright-protected works and cannot assist with permissions.","Copyright retained by author."]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["http://hdl.handle.net/10477/86711"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description","label":"Description","values":["M.S.","BACKGROUND: Epidemiological studies have reported differences in nutritional intake and physical growth in children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). However, these factors have rarely been studied longitudinally. METHODS: We conducted a secondary analysis of 150 children with ASD and 8,800 children without ASD within the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Birth Cohort (ECLS-B) a national cohort of children born in 2001. The ECLS-B collected repeated data on children's early life experiences from birth to six years old through extracting birth certificates and age-specific visits when children were approximately 9 months, and 2, 4, 5, and 6 years old. Dietary patterns were assessed via parental report when children were 4, 5, and 6 years old, and physical growth measurements (weight, length/height) were collected via birth certificates and at each age-specific visit. Factor analysis was used to combine highly correlated diet variables and categorized for easier interpretation. Mixed-effects ordinal logistic regression models were used to estimate the association between ASD and tertile of dietary patterns. Mixed linear regression analysis was used to estimate the differences in the World Health Organization transformed growth trajectories in ASD and non-ASD children.RESULTS: Two dietary patterns were derived from the factor analysis appropriately named \"western dietary pattern\" and \"healthy guideline pattern.\" The odds of having a healthy guideline diet was significantly lower in children with ASD at 4 years old: (OR: 0.55 [95% CI: 0.35, 0.88]); and 5/6 years old: (0.60 [0.37, 0.97]). No differences were found in the odds of having a western diet. Both ASD boys and girls had a significantly lower WAZ at birth compared to their non-ASD counterpart (boys mean difference: -0.62 [95% CI: -0.94, -0.29]) (girls mean difference: -1.47 [-1.94, -1.00]). Girls with ASD also had a lower WAZ at 9 months old (-0.95 [-1.35, -.055]). Girls with ASD had lower HAZ at 9 months (-0.90 [-1.29, -0.51]) and 2 years old (-0.49 [-0.85, -0.12]), however we found no difference in HAZ in boys with ASD and non-ASD. Girls with ASD had a significantly lower BMI-for-age z-score at all 9 months (-0.06 [-0.13, -0.00]), 2 years (-0.17 [-0.34, -0.01]), 4 years (-0.34 [-0.68, -0.01]), and 5 years old (-0.43 [-0.85, -0.02]). No differences were found in BMI-for-age z-score in boys with ASD compared to boys without ASD. CONCLUSIONS: The data from this longitudinal study suggests that the relationship between ASD and dietary patterns is similar in children at 4 years old and from 5 to 6 years old. Our study found a significantly lower consumption of healthy guideline foods in ASD children compared to children without ASD, however the healthy guideline dietary pattern and western dietary pattern may not be meaningful in differentiating between ASD and non-ASD children. This is supported by the finding that ASD children consumed a lower total intake of foods. This study also suggests an accelerated trajectory of weight from birth in ASD boys compared to non-ASD boys, however no difference in height and BMI at any age. Girls with ASD had significantly lower BMI from 9 months to 5 years old. If differences in dietary patterns and anthropometric measurements are confirmed in further longitudinal observational studies, recommendations should be made to monitor these factors.","**To request an accessible version of the file(s) associated with this item, contact library@buffalo.edu. Please include the item's persistent URL [http://hdl.handle.net/. . .] in your request.**"]},{"key":"dc:format","label":"Dc Format","values":["application/pdf"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Longitudinal Dietary Patterns and Physical Growth Trajectories in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders: A National Cohort of Children from Birth to Six Years Old"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Smith, Laura","Epidemiology and Environmental Health"],"dc:creator":["Lieberman, Adam; 0000-0002-0413-8571"],"dc:date":["2025-02-21T21:36:44Z","2020"],"dc:description":["M.S.","BACKGROUND: Epidemiological studies have reported differences in nutritional intake and physical growth in children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). However, these factors have rarely been studied longitudinally. METHODS: We conducted a secondary analysis of 150 children with ASD and 8,800 children without ASD within the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Birth Cohort (ECLS-B) a national cohort of children born in 2001. The ECLS-B collected repeated data on children's early life experiences from birth to six years old through extracting birth certificates and age-specific visits when children were approximately 9 months, and 2, 4, 5, and 6 years old. Dietary patterns were assessed via parental report when children were 4, 5, and 6 years old, and physical growth measurements (weight, length/height) were collected via birth certificates and at each age-specific visit. Factor analysis was used to combine highly correlated diet variables and categorized for easier interpretation. Mixed-effects ordinal logistic regression models were used to estimate the association between ASD and tertile of dietary patterns. Mixed linear regression analysis was used to estimate the differences in the World Health Organization transformed growth trajectories in ASD and non-ASD children.RESULTS: Two dietary patterns were derived from the factor analysis appropriately named \"western dietary pattern\" and \"healthy guideline pattern.\" The odds of having a healthy guideline diet was significantly lower in children with ASD at 4 years old: (OR: 0.55 [95% CI: 0.35, 0.88]); and 5/6 years old: (0.60 [0.37, 0.97]). No differences were found in the odds of having a western diet. Both ASD boys and girls had a significantly lower WAZ at birth compared to their non-ASD counterpart (boys mean difference: -0.62 [95% CI: -0.94, -0.29]) (girls mean difference: -1.47 [-1.94, -1.00]). Girls with ASD also had a lower WAZ at 9 months old (-0.95 [-1.35, -.055]). Girls with ASD had lower HAZ at 9 months (-0.90 [-1.29, -0.51]) and 2 years old (-0.49 [-0.85, -0.12]), however we found no difference in HAZ in boys with ASD and non-ASD. Girls with ASD had a significantly lower BMI-for-age z-score at all 9 months (-0.06 [-0.13, -0.00]), 2 years (-0.17 [-0.34, -0.01]), 4 years (-0.34 [-0.68, -0.01]), and 5 years old (-0.43 [-0.85, -0.02]). No differences were found in BMI-for-age z-score in boys with ASD compared to boys without ASD. CONCLUSIONS: The data from this longitudinal study suggests that the relationship between ASD and dietary patterns is similar in children at 4 years old and from 5 to 6 years old. Our study found a significantly lower consumption of healthy guideline foods in ASD children compared to children without ASD, however the healthy guideline dietary pattern and western dietary pattern may not be meaningful in differentiating between ASD and non-ASD children. This is supported by the finding that ASD children consumed a lower total intake of foods. This study also suggests an accelerated trajectory of weight from birth in ASD boys compared to non-ASD boys, however no difference in height and BMI at any age. Girls with ASD had significantly lower BMI from 9 months to 5 years old. If differences in dietary patterns and anthropometric measurements are confirmed in further longitudinal observational studies, recommendations should be made to monitor these factors.","**To request an accessible version of the file(s) associated with this item, contact library@buffalo.edu. Please include the item's persistent URL [http://hdl.handle.net/. . .] in your request.**"],"dc:format":["application/pdf"],"dc:identifier":["http://hdl.handle.net/10477/86711"],"dc:language":["eng"],"dc:publisher":["State University of New York at Buffalo"],"dc:rights":["Users of works found in University at Buffalo Institutional Repository (UBIR) are responsible for identifying and contacting the copyright owner for permission to reuse. University at Buffalo Libraries do not manage rights for copyright-protected works and cannot assist with permissions.","Copyright retained by author."],"dc:subject":["epidemiology"],"dc:title":["Longitudinal Dietary Patterns and Physical Growth Trajectories in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders: A National Cohort of Children from Birth to Six Years Old"],"dc:type":["Text","Thesis"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-27T19:05:34Z"}