Abstract: Objective　To investigate the effects of dairy product intake on dietary quality and growth in Chinese preschool children，aiming to provide evidence-based nutritional support for improving children’s dietary quality and promoting their growth. Methods　A real-world study，in which 1，179 preschool children were recruited，was conducted from August 2023 to October 2023 in Shanghai，Guangdong，Hubei，Sichuan，Liaoning，and Inner Mongolia. Participating families received daily cheese sticks（45 g per child）during a 6-month follow-up period. Dietary quality was assessed using the Chinese Healthy Eating Index（CHEI）. Results　Both baseline and followup data demonstrated significantly higher CHEI scores in the high dairy intake group compared to moderate and low intake groups，with this trend persisting after confounder adjustment（P<0.001）. At baseline，children in the high dairy intake group showed significantly higher height-for-age Z-scores（HAZ）than those in the low intake group（P=0.012）. After 6 months of intervention，in the high dairy intake group，HAZ gain was significantly greater in the high cheese intake group compared with the low intake group（P=0.006）. Multivariate linear regression analysis，controlling for confounding factors，revealed a linear relationship between cheese intake proportion and HAZ changes（P=0.005）. Additionally，the proportion of children choosing dairy products as snacks and the proportion of families focusing on nutritional components when purchasing dairy products both increased significantly（P<0.001），as did the 
proportion of family members sharing cheese consumption with children（P<0.001）. Conclusion　In this study，preschoolers with adequate dairy intake may have better dietary quality. Increasing total dairy intake by enhancing cheese consumption exerts a positive effect on the overall dietary quality of preschoolers and may also benefit their growth.　Additionally，targeted nutritional education and provision of dairy products are effective in improving nutritional health awareness among families of preschoolers and promoting the adoption of healthy dairy-related dietary behaviors.

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摘要： 目的　了解中国学龄前儿童奶制品摄入状况及其对儿童膳食质量及体格生长的影响，以期为改善儿童膳食质量、促进体格生长提供营养循证支持。方法　2023年8月至2023年10月间在上海、广东、湖北、四川、辽宁、内蒙古等6个省（自治区、直辖市）展开真实世界研究，共纳入1179名学龄前儿童，观察期间每日发放奶酪棒（45 g/ 人），随访6个月，采用中国健康饮食指数（CHEI）评估膳食质量。结果　基线及随访数据显示，高奶制品摄入组的CHEI得分高于中等和低摄入组，校正后的CHEI得分呈相同趋势（P<0.001）。基线数据显示，高奶制品摄入组儿童年龄别身高z评分（HAZ）高于低摄入组（P=0.012），干预6个月后，在高奶制品摄入组中，高奶酪摄入组HAZ增长显著高于低奶酪摄入组（P=0.006）；控制混杂因素后，多元线性回归分析显示奶酪摄入比例与HAZ 相关（P=0.005）。此外，受试儿童选择奶制品作为零食的比例及家庭选购奶制品时关注营养成分的比例显著增加（P<0.001），长辈与孩子共食奶酪的比例亦显著上升（P<0.001）。结论　奶制品摄入达标的学龄前儿童可能有更好的膳食质量，增加奶酪摄入进而提高奶制品摄入总量对学龄前儿童的膳食质量有积极作用，且可能有益于其体格生长；营养教育和提供奶制品能有效改善学龄前儿童家庭奶制品相关的营养认知与行为。

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