Dietary Intake by Food Source and Eating Location in Low- and Middle-Income Chilean Preschool Children and Adolescents from Southeast Santiago

Abstract

Background: Food source and eating location are important factors associated with the quality of dietary intake. In Chile the main food sources and eating locations of preschool children and adolescents and how these relate to dietary quality are unknown. Methods: We analyzed 24 h dietary recalls collected in 2016 from low- and middle-income Chilean preschool children (3–6 years, n = 839) and adolescents (12–14 years, n = 643) from southeastern Santiago. Surveys collected the food source and eating location for each food reported during the recall. We estimated the mean intake of calories and key nutrients of concern, such as saturated fats, total sugars, and sodium, by food source and eating location. Results: Foods obtained and eaten at home contributed the greatest proportion of total calories and the key nutrients of concern. Foods obtained at home tended to have lower caloric densities but higher sugar and sodium densities than foods obtained away from home in both age groups. With regard to location, for preschool children foods consumed at home had lower caloric and sugar densities than foods eaten at school, while for adolescents foods consumed at home had lower caloric, saturated fat, and sugar densities than foods eaten at school. For both children and adolescents, home was the primary source of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) calories. SSBs were important calorie contributors among foods across all settings, but the highest absolute amount of calories from these beverages was consumed at home. Conclusions: While most of Chilean youths’ calories and key nutrients of concern are obtained and consumed at home, these foods tended to have lower caloric densities than foods obtained and consumed away from home. Home was the main food source for SSBs, but the relative consumption of these beverages was high in all eating locations. More research will be needed to inform and evaluate policies and interventions to improve children’s dietary quality across settings.

Consumption of non-nutritive sweeteners by pre-schoolers of the food and environment Chilean cohort (FECHIC) before the implementation of the Chilean food labelling and advertising law

“…This is a descriptive analysis of baseline data from the Food and Environment Chilean Cohort - FEChiC [ 26 – 28 ]. For this cohort study, all public nursery schools located in the South East area of Santiago, Chile ( n = 55) were invited to participate and 50 accepted to be part of the study.…”

Dietary Practices and Adolescent Obesity in Secondary School Learners at Disadvantaged Schools in South Africa: Urban–Rural and Gender Differences

“…They give examples of undesirable eating habits such as eating of highly processed and calorie-rich foods between meals, eating in front of the TV, drinking SSBs, skipping breakfast, eating out frequently, and emotional eating. A few studies have mentioned an increased consumption of sweet and salty snacks, SSBs and/or decreased consumption of fruit and vegetables in the diet as being associated with increased obesity in children and/or adolescents [18][19][20].…”

Nutrition status in adult Chilean population: economic, ethnic and sex inequalities in a post-transitional country

“…This situation has influenced the population's dietary patterns, increasing the consumption of energy-dense, sugar and fat-rich food, known as a 'Western diet' (45) . Trade liberalisation and rapid expansion of supermarkets and fast-food restaurants have profoundly influenced the dietary pattern (46) . Also, the increase in income in families has promoted greater portion sizes and away-home food intake (8,47) .…”