ObjectiveChildhood obesity has increased rapidly in Mexico, along with changes in the food environment. However, little is known about the dietary patterns (DP) of Mexican children. We aimed to characterize the DP of schoolchildren and to analyse their associations with sociodemographic factors.DesignCross-sectional analysis. Dietary and sociodemographic information was obtained, including a single 24 h recall, socio-economic status (SES), geographic region, area of residence and ethnicity. DP were defined with cluster analysis (using k-means). Multinomial logistic regression models, adjusted for the survey design, were used to assess associations between DP and sociodemographic variables.Setting2012 Mexican National Health and Nutrition Survey (ENSANUT-2012).SubjectsSchoolchildren (n 2751) aged 5–11 years who participated in ENSANUT-2012.ResultsFour DP were identified: ‘Traditional’, ‘Industrialized’, ‘Varied’ and ‘Modern’. Reported energy intake (mean (sd)) was lowest in the ‘Traditional’ and highest in the ‘Industrialized’ DP (7037 (3707) kJ/d (1682 (886) kcal/d) v. 8427 (3753) kJ/d (2014 (897) kcal/d), respectively, P<0·05). Significant differences in fat and fibre intakes were seen across DP. Non-indigenous v. indigenous children were 22·0 times (95 % CI 5·1, 93·6) more likely to have a ‘Modern’ rather than ‘Traditional’ DP. Relative likelihood of having an ‘Industrialized’ rather than ‘Traditional’ DP was 6·2 (95 % CI 3·9, 9·9) among schoolchildren from high SES v. low SES.ConclusionsAmong Mexican schoolchildren, DP were associated with sociodemographic variables. Non-indigenous children were significantly more likely to consume a ‘Modern’ than a ‘Traditional’ DP. Children with higher SES were more likely to have an ‘Industrialized’ pattern. It is necessary to consider dietary characteristics in the different sociodemographic strata when dietary interventions are designed.

Objetivo. Identificar la contribución a la ingesta de energía (CIE) de alimentos consumidos en mayores de cinco años y por características sociodemográficas, en la población mexi­cana. Material y métodos. Se analizó información del recordatorio de 24 horas de 7 983 sujetos ≥5 años incluidos en la Encuesta Nacional de Salud y Nutrición 2012 (Ensanut 2012). Se estimó la CIE de 50 alimentos clasificados en ocho grupos de alimentos en el ámbito nacional, estratificando por edad, área de residencia, región y nivel socioeconómico. Resultados. Siete alimentos contribuyeron con 50% de la ingesta energética total: tortilla y productos de maíz (20.6%), pan dulce (6.6%), aceites vegetales (4.9%), pan blanco y derivados de trigo (4.9%), bebidas azucaradas carbonatadas (4.6%), carnes rojas (4.0%) y leche entera (4.0%). Otros alimentos, cuyo consumo es recomendable aumentar por sus efectos positivos en salud, mostraron contribuciones menores a 1.0%, con excepción del frijol (3.3%). Se observó gran heterogeneidad en el consumo entre subgrupos de población. Conclusión. La identificación de los alimentos individuales y su CIE, tanto en grupos de alimentos cuyo consumo se recomienda aumentar, como en aquéllos que se recomienda reducir, puede ser de utilidad para el diseño de acciones regulatorias y estrategias educativas dirigidas a disminuir la carga de enfermedad relacionada con la dieta.

Malnutrition and poor diet are the largest risk factors responsible for the global burden of disease. Therefore, ending all forms of malnutrition by 2030 is a global priority. To achieve this goal, a key element is to design and implement nutrition policies based on the best available scientific evidence. The demand for evidence-based nutrition policies may originate directly from policymakers or through social actors. In both cases, the role of research institutions is to generate relevant evidence for public policy. The two key objects of analysis for the design of an effective policy are the nutrition conditions of the population and the policies and programs available, including the identification of delivery platforms and competencies required by personnel in charge of the provision of services (social response). In addition, systematic literature reviews about risk factors of malnutrition, as well as the efficacy and effectiveness of policy actions, lead to evidence-based policy recommendations. Given the multifactorial nature of malnutrition, the drivers and risk factors operate in several sectors (food and agriculture, health, education, and social development) and may be immediate, underlying or basic causes. This multilevel complexity should be considered when developing nutrition policy. In this article, we show two models for the evidence-based design of nutrition policies and programs that may be useful to academia and decision makers demonstrated by two examples of policy design, implementation and evaluation in Mexico.

Existe evidencia sólida de la existencia de relaciones entre la industria de alimentos y bebidas y la academia. Ésta sugiere que la investigación patrocinada por la industria es susceptible de conferir sesgos a su favor en los resultados. En América Latina, se han documentado ejemplos de estas situaciones en México, Brasil, Chile, Perú, Colombia y Ecuador, por citar a algunos países. Ante la necesidad urgente de estudiar y gestionar las relaciones entre la industria de alimentos y bebidas y el campo de investigación en salud y nutrición, en 2017 el Presidente de la Sociedad Latinoamericana de Nutri­ción (SLAN) designó a un Comité de Conflicto de Intereses (CCI). El CCI tuvo la encomienda de hacer una propuesta de postura sobre manejo de conflicto de intereses (CDI) de la SLAN. El presente artículo refleja los trabajos del CCI y la postura que adoptó la SLAN.

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