BEHAVIOR OF 3-YEAR-OLD CHILDREN IN A PROSPECTIVE RANDOMIZED TRIAL OF REDUCED SATURATED FAT AND CHOLESTEROL DIET SINCE INFANCY - THE STRIP BABY PROJECT

Interventions aimed at decreased exposure of children to known atheros clerosis risk factors may have untoward behavioral side effects. We ex amined how children's behavior or parent's perception of the behavior of the children at 3 years of age was influenced by the intervention i n a prospective randomized trial that began in infancy and effectively decreased serum cholesterol concentration. This Special Turku coronar y Risk factor Intervention Project for babies (STRIP) began when the i nfant was 7 months old. Half of 1,062 children received individualized dietary counseling at 1- to 3-month intervals during the first 2 year s of age and then half-yearly; the other half had an unrestricted diet . At 3 years of age a standardized questionnaire of the child's behavi or was sent to 791 families (76% returned the questionnaire). At the o nset of the trial the sociodemographic data of the families and serum lipid values of the intervention and control children were similar. La ter, mean serum cholesterol values of the intervention children remain ed constantly at a level 6% to 10% below the values of the control chi ldren. At 3 years of age the parental perceptions of the child's behav ior suggested minimal differences between the intervention and control children. The intervention children were slightly less jealous and mo re active and creative, but showed slightly more negative signs of beh avior (bed-wetting, problems in falling asleep, fears) than the contro ls. We conclude that long-term, individualized dietary and lifestyle i ntervention that begins in infancy slightly influences children's beha vior or parent's recognition of the behavior of the children at the ag e of 3 years.