Neha Agnihotri (f. 1987) er født og oppvokst i Oslo. Hun har en bachelorgrad i ernæring fra Atlantis Medisinske Høgskole (2011) og en mastergrad i folkehelsevitenskap fra Norges miljø- og biovitenskapelige universitet (NMBU) fra 2015. Neha har fulgt doktorgradsprogrammet ved Fakultet for helse- og idrettsvitenskap ved Universitetet i Agder (UiA). Hennes doktorgradsarbeid har vært finansiert av UiA.
Neha Agnihotri (b. 1987) was born and raised in Oslo. She holds a bachelor's degree in nutrition from Atlantis Medical School (2011) and a master's degree in public health from the Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU) from 2015. Neha has followed the doctoral program at the Faculty of Health and Sports Sciences at the University of Agder (UiA). Her doctoral work has been funded by UiA.
Evaluation Committee:
- Professor Inga Thorsdottir, University of Iceland, Iceland – First opponent
- Senior researcher Lisbeth Dahl, Institute of Marine Research, Norway - Second opponent
- Head of the assessment committee: Postdoctoral fellow Martin Kjeøen Erikstad, University of Agder
Supervisors:
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Main supervisor: Professor Nina Cecilie Øverby, Department of Nutrition and Public Health, University of Agder
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Co-supervisors: Professor Elisabet Rudjord Hillesund, Head of Department at the Department of Nutrition and Public Health, University of Agder; Professor Elling Tufte Bere, Department of Sport Science and Physical Education, University of Agder
Summary
What we eat has a direct impact on our health, the environment and our future. Given the global health and environmental challenges we face today as a result of an unhealthy diet, there has been increasing research into the concept of the New Nordic Diet (NND). This is a dietary pattern that is not only healthy, but also has sustainable potential in the Nordic countries by being based on local ingredients that have been traditionally used and are available in this region. However, we still know little about how such a dietary pattern can affect health from life in the womb to childhood. A nutritionally adequate and healthy diet for mother and child in this early phase of life not only affects growth and development at the time, but also lays the foundation for the child's future health.
In this thesis, we therefore wanted to investigate whether a dietary pattern based on NND could be beneficial for the child's growth and development from the time of life in the mother's womb onwards, while also being healthy and potentially sustainable. Data from the Norwegian Mother, Father and Child Survey (MoBa) was used to investigate this. In the first study in the project, we developed dietary scores that were based on a previously developed NND score for maternal diet during pregnancy. These measured whether the children followed a diet based on NND when the child was 6 months (n=89,715), 18 months (n=76,432), 3 years (n=58,884) and 7 years (n=35,978). In the second study, we investigated whether there was a relationship between NND score and weight status at eight years of age in a sample of 14,989 individuals. In the last study, we wanted to explore whether there was a relationship between high and low scores on the NND scores and the child's development up to the age of five (n=83,800). Logistic and linear regression analyses were used in the studies.
The main findings of this thesis show that although the child scores were not developed identically to the mother's scores, they still capture dietary quality and aspects of an environmentally friendly diet to some extent. We found no association with weight status at eight years of age, and the thesis discusses the complexity of the relationship between diet and weight in children, as well as other methodological challenges. The most important finding of the project showed that there was a higher likelihood of worse motor skills and language development in the child if the mother and child scored low on the NND scores, compared to those who scored high.
Therefore, a diet based on NND with foods such as whole grains, fruits and vegetables, root vegetables, potatoes, milk, oatmeal, fish and water, and being breastfed and eating home-cooked food early in life can be beneficial for the child's current and future development, while also being potentially sustainable. Further research on sustainable diets is recommended as an investment for healthy future generations, and not least for the health of the planet.