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We aimed to explore and analyse the dietary intake patterns of 3‐6 year‐old children left behind by one or both parents and to assess their associations with body mass index (BMI) and the prevalence of childhood anaemia in rural Anhui, eastern China. We used random cluster sampling to recruit rural children aged 3–6 years in two rural areas in Anhui province. Sociodemographic information and dietary intake were collected by self‐reported questionnaires. Height, weight and prevalence of anaemia were measured by trained nurses blinded to parental migration status. Factor analysis was applied to determine that major dietary patterns, binary logistic regression and generalised linear regression were used to explore the associations between anaemia and BMI Z‐score with dietary patterns. Of 1720 children aged 3–6 years, 236 were left by both parents and 388 were left by a single parent. The prevalence of stunting and underweight among left‐behind children with migration of both parents (BLBC) was significantly higher than that of non‐left‐behind children (NLBC). Three dietary patterns—"grain–vegetable," "meat–egg" and "fast food–sweet"—were identified in our study, and the total variance explained was 46.9%. The meat–egg dietary pattern was associated with a decreased risk of anaemia after adjustment for confounding factors in the left‐behind children with migration of both parents (BLBC), left‐behind children with single parent migration (SLBC) and non‐left‐behind children (NLBC) groups. After adjusting for confounding factors, the fast food–sweet dietary pattern was found to be associated with an increased risk of anaemia (OR [95% CI]: Q4: 2.21 [1.14, 4.57], p = 0.034). In addition, children with obesity had a lower intake of vegetables and fruits (β = −0.08, 95% CI: −0.13, −0.02) compared with children with a normal weight. In conclusion, there are correlations between different types of parental migration and children's nutritional status in rural Anhui. The meat–egg dietary pattern may have a preventive effect on anaemia in comparison with other dietary patterns, irrespective of whether children are left behind or not. Children with overweight and obesity had a higher intake of pork and red meat and snacks compared with children with normal BMI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dietary intake during pregnancy plays a vital role in determining the health of both mother and baby. Maternal undernutrition affects a large proportion of women in low and lower middle income countries (LLMIC) likely influencing high maternal, infant, and child mortality in these countries. Mobile health (mHealth) interventions have been proposed as effective solutions to improve maternal and neonatal health. This paper reviews the literature to evaluate the effectiveness of mHealth interventions on improving dietary/nutrients intake of pregnant women in LLMIC. Eight electronic databases were searched from inception up to April 2018, including the MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, Cochrane, Web of Science, Scopus, Global Index Medicus, and Maternity and Infant Care. Using Covidence, two reviewers assessed articles for inclusion, assessed study quality and extracted data. Only studies published in English language were included. Data were summarised narratively. In total, 6,778 were identified of which four were included, with three randomised controlled trials and one prepost experimental study. Studies were conducted in India (n = 2), Indonesia (n = 1), and Kenya (n = 1). All articles evaluated the use of nutrient supplements; iron supplements (n = 1), vitamin supplements (composition not mentioned; n = 1), or calcium supplements (n = 1). This review suggests that mHealth interventions can be used to improve intake of micronutrient supplementation and nutritional status of pregnant women in LLMIC. Further studies are needed to address the limited evidence base related to mHealth nutrition interventions targeting dietary intakes of pregnant women in LLMIC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]