Early feeding patterns among Mexican babies: findings from the 2012 National Health and Nutrition Survey and implications for health and obesity prevention

Abstract

Background: Feeding practices and dietary factors associated with obesity in young children are now recognized to begin in infancy. Yet little is known about what specific foods and beverages Mexican children are consuming during the rapid dietary changes occurring in the first few years of life. The objective of this study was to describe the transitions in food consumption patterns of Mexican children from birth up to age 4 years and to assess their adherence to feeding guidelines that support growth, development and obesity prevention. Methods: We analyzed cross-sectional, 24-hour dietary recall data from a nationally-representative sample of infants ages 0-11.9 months (m) (n = 411), toddlers ages 12-23.9 m (n = 538), and preschoolers ages 24-47.9 m (n = 1108) from the Mexican National Health and Nutrition Survey 2012 (NHNS 2012). The prevalence of foods and beverages was estimated for specific age categories of children useful for examining detailed transitions in food consumption patterns and compared to international feeding guidelines for infants and young children. Results: Few infants were exclusively breastfed (15 % ages 0-3.9 m; 4 % ages 4-5.9 m) and only~1 % met the recommendation to exclusively breastfeed until at least age 6 m. One to 10 % of infants ages <6 m and 14-38 % of infants ages 6-11 m were fed cow's milk, a practice not recommended until after age 1 year. Most infants ages 0-3.9 m were meeting the recommendation to delay feeding of complementary foods until age 6 m, but by the age of 4-5.9 m, 9-37 % of infants were fed foods from nearly all of the major food groups. Few infants ages 6-11.9 m received iron-rich foods, (3-4 % iron-fortified infant cereals; 2-18 % meats). By the age of 9 m, more children consumed any type of sweet (75 %) than consumed a distinct portion of fruit (54 %) or vegetable (25 %). Sweetened beverages were fed with an increasing prevalence from 6 to 42 % in infancy, and reached 63 % by age 12 m and 78 % by age 24 m. Conclusions: These data show that dietary patterns begin very early in life and many infants, toddlers and preschoolers in Mexico are not meeting important feeding recommendations aimed at supporting healthy growth, development and obesity prevention. These findings are useful to support the ongoing promotion of evidence-based feeding guidelines for young Mexican children.

The Feeding Infants and Toddlers Study (FITS) 2016: Moving Forward

“…More detailed analyses of Federal program participation and how that influences dietary patterns are also ongoing. Similar studies are also now underway in other countries, including China ( 46–48 ), Mexico ( 49 , 50 ), and Russia ( 51 ), and will soon be underway in the Philippines, India, the Middle East, and Brazil. These will continue to inform us about the similarities and differences in infant and child feeding practices between countries ( 52 ).…”

Many Infants and Young Children Are Not Compliant with Mexican and International Complementary Feeding Recommendations for Milk and Other Beverages

“…The extra energy has been linked to consumption of energy-dense foods low in micronutrients, including foods and beverages with added sugar and various maize-based preparations [ 6 ]. Sweetened tea and other sweetened beverages, including traditional non-milk beverages, are frequently consumed among infants and young children in Mexico [ 6 , 7 ] and may contribute to these excess energy intakes.…”

“…Approximately one-third of Mexican infants less than 1 year of age consume cow’s milk [ 6 , 7 ]. Cow’s milk is considered an inappropriate milk for children under 1 year, as early feeding of cow’s milk is associated with an increased risk of developing iron-deficiency anemia [ 8 ].…”

Differences in Complementary Feeding of 6 to 23 Month Olds in China, US and Mexico

“…SSBs were rarely consumed among the Chinese children but were heavily consumed among the Mexican children with the average amount alarmingly high. The high amount of SSB consumption adds further insight to our previous report that 63-78% of the Mexican children consumed SSB on the day of dietary recall [8]. SSBs such as water-and milk-based atoles, Aguas Frescas, fruit flavored drinks, sweetened tea and carbonated soft-drinks were the primary sources of added sugar in the diet of children.…”

“…We have previously reported the percentage of children consuming foods from specific food groups in the three populations [8][9][10]. The present study provides further insights by reporting quantities of the foods consumed and comparing the data across the three culturally diverse populations.…”