Authors
Sohye Cho, Jung Min Cho
Published in
European journal of pediatrics. Volume 185. Issue 10. Sep 11, 2026. Epub Sep 11, 2026.
Abstract
Nutritional and anthropometric concerns have been reported in children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), but population-level evidence across childhood and adolescence remains limited. To characterize anthropometric status, age-specific nutrient intake, and nutrient intake relative to dietary reference values in children and adolescents with ADHD. A 15-year complex-sample analysis was conducted using nationally representative Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey data (2007-2021). Anthropometric analyses included 172 participants aged 6-18 years with reported physician-diagnosed ADHD, and dietary analyses included 157 complete cases. Dietary intake was assessed by 24-h recall, and individual intake-to-reference ratios were calculated using age- and sex-specific dietary reference values. Anthropometric distributions differed significantly from national growth references for weight (P = 0.002), body mass index (P = 0.024), waist circumference (P = 0.008), and waist-to-height ratio (P = 0.001) but not height (P = 0.673). Among males, energy intake increased significantly with age (P = 0.005), and age-group differences were observed for carbohydrate (P = 0.002), phosphorus (P < 0.001), and thiamin (P = 0.011) intake-to-reference ratios. In the total sample, the intake-to-reference ratios differed by age for protein (P = 0.036), carbohydrate (P = 0.026), phosphorus (P < 0.001), thiamin (P = 0.018), and riboflavin (P = 0.007).
Compared with reference values, children and adolescents with ADHD showed deviations in anthropometric distributions and age-related differences in nutrient intake. These findings support the consideration of both growth distribution and nutrient balance in nutritional assessments of this population.
• Children and adolescents with ADHD may exhibit suboptimal dietary patterns and altered anthropometric status.
• Anthropometric distributions in children and adolescents with ADHD were more strongly represented at both the lower and upper extremes than were national growth references. • High and low nutrient intakes coexist, indicating an imbalanced nutritional profile rather than uniformly insufficient intake.
PMID:
42722922
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 11 Sep 2026.
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