Early weaning and family characteristics are associated with greater sodium intake in children between 13 and 35 months: BRISA birth cohort

Abstract

Children are consuming less healthy foods and this eating behavior exposes the child to greater sodium intake. Evaluate the association between family, maternal and child characteristics with sodium intake by children aged 13-35 months. A retrospective cohort study with data from 1,185 children. The children’s dietary sodium intake was assessed by a 24-hour diet recall survey. Values ≥1200mg were considered excessive intake. The association between sodium intake and independent variables was assessed by a three-level logistic hierarchical regression model. Variables with p-value <0.05 were retained in the model. Most children were male (51.2%), eutrophic (63.2%) and not exclusively breastfed (EBF) for six months (58.4%). The average sodium intake was 925 mg (± 410.4). The prevalence of excessive sodium intake was 18.5% and was associated with the variables children of younger mothers (<20 years old OR=4.04, 95%CI=1.64-9.99; ≥20 to <35 years old OR=2.48, 95%CI=1.10-5.63), having 4 or more children (OR=2.51, 95%CI=1.29-4.89), lower family income (≥1 and <3 minimum wages OR=0.60, 95%CI=0.39-0,93; ≥3 minimum wages OR=0.50, 95%CI=0.30-0.82), and not being exclusively breastfed until six months (OR=1.64, 95%CI=1.14-2.34).The average sodium intake of children was higher than the recommendation for adequate intake, pointing to a high consumption of this micronutrient in the first years of life. Excessive sodium intake seems to be linked to unfavorable socioeconomic conditions. Avoiding early weaning is the only possible intervention in this scenario.

Sodium Intake Tracked from Infancy and Salt Taste Preference during Adolescence: Follow-up of a Randomized Controlled Field Trial in Brazil

“…Although the Brazilian population is gradually replacing unprocessed foods with ready-to-eat processed and ultra-processed foods [ 60 ], there is evidence that table salt remains the greatest contributor to dietary sodium intake [ 61 ]. Therefore, because of the lack of information on salt used during food preparation or at the table, the comparison of our data with other studies [ 2 , 10 , 62 ] is restricted. In conclusion, although there is unanimous agreement that increasing healthy dietary behaviors are the single most important aspect of reducing risks for preventable diseases [ 24 ], there is a paucity of research on how to achieve this, especially as it relates to learning to like foods lower in saltiness.…”

“…During the past few decades, research in several countries, including Brazil, have reported excessive sodium intake among children and adolescents, with intakes rapidly increasing once complementary foods are introduced to the diet [ [10] , [11] , [12] ]. To understand the important role of early life feeding practices on setting the stage for life-long health, in 2001, we initiated a randomized controlled trial (RCT) in the city of São Leopoldo, Brazil to low-income mothers during the first year postpartum.…”