Journal of Nutrition,Fasting and Health

Journal of Nutrition,Fasting and Health

The Contribution of Dairy Products to Nutrition and Growth in Elementary School Students in Shoushtar City, Iran

Articles in Press

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors
Elham Pirabbasi 1
Mohammad Nazari 1
Azam Jahangirimehr 2
Zahra Mehri 3
Hamed Ersali 1
1 Department of Nutrition, Shoushtar Faculty of Medical Sciences, Shoushtar, Iran.
2 Biostatistics, Shoushtar Faculty of Medical Sciences, Shoushtar, Iran.
3 Master of Scientometrics, Shoushtar Faculty of Medical Sciences, Shoushtar, Iran
10.22038/jnfh.2026.88992.1588
Abstract
Introduction: A healthy diet & exercise are key to good physical health. The relationship between nutrition, food choices, and health is well established. Dairy is key to children's healthy growth. Aim: The purpose of the study was to assess the contribution of dairy products to nutrition and growth among elementary school students. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in Shoushtar City, Iran, in 2021, involving 248 participants aged 8 to 11 years. Demographic data (age, gender, height, weight, ethnicity, parental education, family income) and FFQ (168 items) were collected. Data was analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 21. Results: The prevalence of malnutrition was 7.7% (n=19), and 92.3% (n=229) were normal or overweight/obese. The average daily consumption of various dairy products was significantly higher among boys than among girls (p = 0.003). Average all types of daily yogurt consumption (p=0.001), condensed yogurt (p=0.03), plain yogurt (p=0.001), buttermilk (p=0.001), and both traditional and industrial ice cream (p=0.02) were significantly higher in boys than in girls. Additionally, a weakly significant relationship was observed between body mass index (BMI) (p = 0.018, r =0.151) and dairy product consumption. A positive correlation was found between average daily and monthly dairy intake and increases in height (p=0.000, r=0.282) and weight (p=0.000, r=0.833) among both boys and girls students. Conclusion: Regular and daily consumption of dairy products was associated with normal growth in height and weight among students, irrespective of other factors such as family income and parental education levels.
Keywords
Dietary Intake
Body Mass Index (BMI)
Food Intake
Dairy Products
Subjects
1.                World Health Organization. Healthy diet. WHO, 2023.
2.                Mozaffarian D. Dietary and policy priorities for cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and obesity. Circulation. 2016;133 (2):187–225.
3.                Castellanos-Gutiérrez A, Rodríguez-Ramírez S, Bromage S, Fung TT, Li Y, Bhupathiraju SN, Deitchler M, Willett W, Batis C. Performance of the global diet quality score with nutrition and health outcomes in Mexico with 24-h recall and FFQ data. J Nutr. 2021, 23;151(12 Suppl)
4.                The State of the World’s Children 2021. UNICEF; 2021(2):143S-51S.
5.                Black RE, et al. Maternal and child undernutrition and overweight in low‑income and middle‑income countries. Lancet. 2013; 382 (9890):427–51.
 6.               NCD Risk Factor Collaboration. Trends in adult body‑mass index in 200 countries. Lancet. 2017;390 (10113):2627–42.
7.                O’Neil CE, et al. Snacking patterns and diet quality in children. Nutrients. 2020;12 (2):325. 8.                    Sharifan P, Roustaee R, Shafiee M, Longworth ZL, Keshavarz P, Davies IG, Webb RJ, Mazidi M, Vatanparast H. Dairy Consumption and Risk of Cardiovascular and Bone Health Outcomes in Adults: An Umbrella Review and Updated Meta-Analyses. Nutrients. 2025; 17(17):2723.
9.                Weaver CM. Dairy consumption and bone health: mechanisms and outcomes. Am J Clin Nutr. 2014; 99 (5Suppl):1256S–62S. 
10.              Kim JS, Oh SW, Kim J. Milk consumption and bone mineral density in adults: Using data from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2008–2011. Korean Journal of Family Medicine. 2021; 42(4):327.
11.              Rizzoli R. Dairy products and bone health across the lifespan. Osteoporos Int. 2018; 29 (1):191–8.
12.              Facts on nutrition [cited 2018 December 27]. WHO. Available from: http://www.who.int/features/factf iles/n utrition/en/
13.              Hidayat K, Zhang LL, Rizzoli R, Guo YX, Zhou Y, Shi YJ, Su HW, Liu B, Qin LQ. The Effects of Dairy Product Supplementation on Bone Health Indices in Children Aged 3 to 18 Years: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials. Adv Nutr. 2023; 14(5):1187-96.
14.              Mikulic N, Khouw I, Ng SA, Rojroongwasinkul N, Vongvimetee N, Tran NT, Tran VK, Sekartini R, Chandra DN, Poh BK, et al. Dairy Consumption at Breakfast among Southeast Asian Children: Associations with Nutrient Intake from the South East Asian Nutrition Surveys II (SEANUTS II). Nutrients. 2024; 16(19):3229.
 15.             Drouin-Chartier J., Hernández-Alonso P., Guasch-Ferré M., Ruiz-Canela M., Li J., Wittenbecher C, Razquin C, Toledo E, Dennis C, Corella D, Estruch R, Fitó M, Eliassen AH, Tobias DK, Ascherio A, Mucci LA, Rexrode KM, Karlson EW, Costenbade KH, Hu FB. Dairy consumption, plasma metabolites, and risk of type 2 diabetes. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 2021;114 (1): 163-74.
16.              Jin S, Kim Y, Je Y. Dairy Consumption and Risks of Colorectal Cancer Incidence and Mortality: A Meta-analysis of Prospective Cohort Studies. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2020; 29 (11):2309-22.
17.              Mikulic N, Khouw I, Ng SA, Rojroongwasinkul N, Vongvimetee N, Tran NT, Tran VK, Sekartini R, Chandra DN, Poh BK, Wong JE, Singh-Povel CM, Groot N. Dairy Consumption at Breakfast among Southeast Asian Children: Associations with Nutrient Intake from the South East Asian Nutrition Surveys II (SEANUTS II). Nutrients 2024, 16, 3229.
18.              Wiley AS. Dairy and linear growth. Nutr Rev. 2021;79:468–85.
19.              Bourne JE, Martin Ginis KA, Buchholz AC, Schmidtke S, Jung ME. Increasing dietary calcium intake of children and their parents: a randomised controlled trial. Public Health Nutrition. 2021;24 (10):3075-86.
20.              Weaver CM, et al. Global calcium intake. Osteoporosis Int. 2016; 27:3255–66.
21.              Milk and dairy products in human nutrition. FAO. 2019.
22.              Dairy Nutrition.ca. Calcium recommendations and dairy intake guidelines [Internet]. Dairy Nutrition; 2021.Available from: https://dairynutrition.ca/en/nutrients%E2%80%91milk%E2%80%91products/calcium/recommendations%E2%80%91calcium%E2%80%91nutrient%E2%80%91concern.
 23.             EFSA. Dietary reference values for calcium. EFSA Journal. 2015;13: 4101.
 24. Moynihan PJ. Dairy and dental health. Nutr Bull. 2016; 41:223–30.
25.              Min EJ, Park E, Park JB. Milk Consumption and Its Association with Dental Caries: Gender-Specific Insights from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2013-2015). Medicina (Kaunas). 2024; 60(6):967.
26.              Petersen PE. Oral health in children. WHO Bulletin. 2018.
27.              World Food Programme. School milk programs. 2020.
28.              FAO & WHO. School-based nutrition interventions. 2021.
29.              Mirmiran P, Esfahani FH, Mehrabi Y, Hedayati M, Azizi F. Reliability and relative validity of an FFQ for nutrients in the Tehran lipid and glucose study. Public health nutrition. 2010;13 (5):654-62.
30.              Taheriyan A, Shojaie M, Daneshfar A, Sharifdost M. Comparison of the Mean Values of Body Mass Index of Girls and Boys Aged 7-12 Years in Isfahan with Standard Values. J Health Syst Res. 2019; 15(1): 26-32.
31.              Hudda MT, Nightingale CM, Donin AS, Owen CG, Rudnicka AR, Wells JC, Rutter H, Cook DG, Whincup PH. Patterns of childhood body mass index (BMI), overweight and obesity in South Asian and black participants in the English National Child Measurement Programme: effect of applying BMI adjustments standardising for ethnic differences in BMI-body fatness associations. International Journal of Obesity. 2018;42(4):662-70.
32.              Santorelli G, West J, Yang T, Wright J, Bryant M, Lawlor DA. Differences in total and regional body fat and their association with BMI in UK-born White and South Asian children: findings from the Born in Bradford birth cohort. Welcome Open Research. 2022;6:65.
33.              Farrin N, Pirouzpanah S, Dehgn P, Ostadrahimi A, Pirouzpanah SS, Alizadeh Khameneh N, Tahmasebi S, Rostamzadeh B. Assessment of body mass index (BMI) in 6-11 years old primary school children in Tabriz City, Iran. Qom University of Medical Sciences Journal. 2016; 10 (4):86-95.
34.              Motamed Rezaie O, Moedi M, Tayori A, Zaeshenas F, Sharifi M. Prevalence of Obesity and Its Relationship with Eating Habits Among Male Students Aged 10 to 14 in Birjand in 2014: A Brief Report. Journal of Rafsanjan University of Medical Sciences 2015, 14(12), 1085-94.
35.              De Lamas C, DeCastro MJ, Gil-Campos M, Gil Á, Couce ML, Leis R. Effects of Dairy Product Consumption on Height and Bone Mineral Content in Children: A Systematic Review of Controlled Trials. Advances in Nutrition. 2019; 10: S88-96.
36.              De Beer H. Dairy products and physical stature: A systematic review and meta-analysis of controlled trials. Economics & Human Biology. 2012; 10 (3), 299-309.
37.              Dor C, Stark AH, Dichtiar R, Keinan-Boker L, Shimony T, Sinai T. Milk and dairy consumption is positively associated with height in adolescents: results from the Israeli National Youth Health and Nutrition Survey. Eur J Nutr. 2022; 61(1):429-38.
38.              Vahedi H, Pourabdollahi P, Biglarian A, Shekarzadeh Lemoki M, Kabirzadeh A, Sadeghi R et al. Study of awareness toward and the pattern of milk consumption in 7-12 year old elementary school students in the city of Sari and their mothers (2005-2006). Journal of Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences 2007; 17 (59): 94-102.
Journal of Nutrition,Fasting and Health

Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 20 July 2026

  • Receive Date 21 June 2025
  • Revise Date 30 June 2026
  • Accept Date 20 July 2026