Discretionary foods and drinks in Norwegian children and adolescents’ diet: data from the national dietary survey Ungkost 3

Abstract

Objective: This study aimed to identify the amount of discretionary foods and drinks consumed by Norwegian children and adolescents, describe how such products contribute to the intake of total energy and nutrients, and study the distribution in intake of discretionary foods and drinks across different meals. Secondly, the aim was to explore factors associated with those children and adolescents having the highest consumption of discretionary foods and drinks. Design: Secondary analysis of data from a national survey of dietary intake among Norwegian children and adolescents. Setting: Schools in 50 randomly selected municipalities in Norway. Participants: The study population included 636 pupils in 4th grade (9-11 years) and 687 pupils in 8th grade (12-14 years). Results: Discretionary foods and drinks contributed to about 20% of the children and adolescents’ total energy intake. These food and beverage items contributed to about two-thirds of the participants’ intake of added sugar, and limited amounts of dietary fiber, vitamins and minerals. The quartile which had the lowest proportion of their energy intake from discretionary foods and drinks seemed to have a higher intake of whole grains, and fish and seafood. Conclusions: Almost all 4th and 8th graders in Norway consumed discretionary foods and drinks and these products contributed to a substantial proportion of the total energy intake and limited amounts of nutrients. Those children and adolescents consuming the least discretionary foods and drinks had a higher intake of whole grains, fish and seafood, indicating healthier and more sustainable food habits.

Secular trends in infant feeding practices during the first year of life in Norway: findings from 1998 to 2019 – the Spedkost surveys

“…The surveys aimed to assess infant feeding practices and had a longitudinal design as they were carried out at infant aged 6 and 12 months. The first survey was conducted in 1998-1999 (Spedkost 1) (25,26) , the second in 2006-2007 (Spedkost 2) (27,28) and the third in 2018-2019 (Spedkost 3) (29,30) . In all surveys, a nationally representative sample of about 3000 Norwegian infants was invited.…”

“…It was assumed that the diet of infants born during these months was similar to the diet of infants born at other times of the year. More details about the samples have been described elsewhere (25)(26)(27)(28)(29)(30) . For all samples, if the child was a twin or a triplet, the parents were asked only to include the oldest.…”

“…The design of the Spedkost surveys has been published elsewhere (25)(26)(27)(28)(29)(30) . Briefly, the mothers/parents received an invitation and a semi-quantitative FFQ or a link to the questionnaire by mail about 2 weeks before the child turned 6 and 12 months of age.…”

“…The questionnaires have been described in detail elsewhere (25)(26)(27)(28)(29)(30) . In brief, they were designed to describe infant feeding practices at 6 and 12 months of age and to retrospectively describe feeding practices from birth up to the given age.…”

“…As in the general population, maternal educational level increased, mothers were older, mothers gave birth to fewer children and fewer were smokers across time. Additionally, those participating in the Spedkost surveys tend to have a higher educational level compared with the general population in Norway at the time when the surveys were conducted (25)(26)(27)(28)(29)(30) . It might be that our sample deviates from a representative sample and shows higher breast-feeding rates than what is the actual situation.…”