Food consumption of children younger than 6 years according to the degree of food processing

Unhealthy snack food and beverage (USFB) consumption among young children has been noted in many low‐income and middle‐income countries (LMIC), however, there is a lack of information on the contribution of these foods to children's diets in these contexts. This study describes the nutrient profiles and costs of snacks consumed by young children in Kathmandu Valley, Nepal, and assesses the proportion of total energy intake from nonbreastmilk foods (%TEI‐NBF) contributed by USFB and factors associated with high USFB consumption. A cross‐sectional survey was conducted among 745 randomly sampled primary caregivers of children aged 12–23 months. Of 239 unique snack foods and beverages consumed, 180 (75.3%) were classified as unhealthy based on nutrient profiling, with 158 of these being commercially branded. Median cost/100 kcal of USFB was lower as compared with healthy snacks. Ninety‐one percent of children had consumed a USFB in the previous 24 hr, with these foods contributing a mean %TEI‐NBF of 24.5 ± 0.7 among all children. Biscuits (10.8%), candy/chocolate (3.5%), and savoury snacks (3.4%) provided the largest %TEI‐NBF. Children who were older, female, or from the poorest households had significantly higher odds of high USFB consumption, whereas children whose caregivers were of upper caste/ethnicity or had achieved tertiary education had lower odds of consumption than other children. To reduce USFB consumption, interventions should seek to further understand social/cultural drivers of feeding practices, target disadvantaged populations, and ensure caregivers are fully aware of the nutritional quality of food products they choose for their children.

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 77%

Energy intake from unhealthy snack food/beverage among 12‐23‐month‐old children in urban Nepal

Pries

Sharma

Upadhyay

et al. 2019

“…Among South African 1‐ to 3‐year‐olds, those in the highest quartile of added sugar consumption (based on % TEI) had lower intakes of calcium, iron, and zinc, as compared with toddlers with lower % TEI from added sugar (Maunder, Nel, Steyn, Kruger, & Labadarios, ). Five studies in this review (Anderson et al, ; Jeharsae et al, ; Karnopp et al, ; Lander et al, ; Rodríguez‐Ramírez et al, ) noted % TEI from snack foods/SSB of approximately 20% or higher among children below 23 months of age, suggesting levels of consumption that could contribute to micronutrient dilution. It is also critical to note that this review did not identify any studies that explored the relationship between snack food/SSB consumption and reduced micronutrient intakes, dietary adequacy, or micronutrient status beyond anaemia.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 80%

“…The reported % TEI ranged from 13.1% among 0‐ to 23‐month‐olds in the Amazonas district of Peru (Roche, Creed‐Kanashiro, Tuesta, & Kuhlein, ) to 38.2% among 12‐ to 23‐month‐olds in Phnom Penh, Cambodia (Anderson, Cornwall, Jack, & Gibson, ), with a median of 19.3% TEI across all nine studies. Five studies assessed dietary energy contribution from both snack foods and SSB (Denney, Afeiche, Eldridge, & Villalpando‐Carrión, ; Karnopp et al, ; Kavle et al, ; Rodríguez‐Ramírez, Muñoz‐Espinosa, Rivera, González‐Castell, & González de Cosío, ; Valmórbida & Vitolo, ). Four studies did not specifically indicate if they assessed contributions from SSB in addition to snack foods (Anderson et al, ; Jeharsae, Sangthong, & Chongsuvivatwong, ; Lander et al, ; Roche et al, ).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Although this review indicates that snack foods/SSB are potentially providing a substantial proportion of dietary energy among young children in LMIC, the low number of studies and their limited geographical distribution limit the ability to understand whether the % TEI from snack foods/SSB differs between urban versus rural populations and across regions, particularly those beyond Latin America and East/South‐east Asia. Of the nine studies that explored % TEI from snack foods/SSB, four were conducted in urban contexts (Anderson et al, ; Karnopp et al, ; Lander et al, ; Valmórbida & Vitolo, ), and one was conducted in a conflict area (Jeharsae et al, ). Two studies used national datasets (Denney et al, ; Rodríguez‐Ramírez et al, ); however, neither disaggregated data among 0‐ to 23‐month‐olds by rural/urban area of residence.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Snack food and beverage consumption and young child nutrition in low‐ and middle‐income countries: A systematic review

Pries

Filteau

Ferguson

2019

Although snacks can provide important nutrients for young children during the complementary feeding period, the increasing availability of snack foods and sugar‐sweetened beverages (SSB), often energy‐dense and nutrient‐poor, in low‐ and middle‐income countries (LMIC) is a concern. Such foods may displace consumption of nutritious foods in contexts where diets are often nutritionally inadequate and the burden of childhood malnutrition is high. This systematic review summarizes literature on the contribution of snack food/SSB consumption to total energy intakes (TEI) of children below 23 months of age in LMIC and associations between this consumption and nutritional outcomes. It also identifies areas where further research is needed. A systematic search of Embase, Global Health, and MEDLINE for literature published in January 1990–July 2018 was conducted. This search yielded 8,299 studies, 13 of which met inclusion criteria: Nine studies assessed % TEI from snack foods/SSB, and four studies assessed associations between snack food/SSB consumption and nutritional outcomes. Average % TEI from snack foods/SSB ranged from 13% to 38%. Findings regarding associations with growth were inconclusive, and no studies assessed associations with nutrient intakes. Variation in measurement of consumption and definitions of snack foods and SSB limited study comparisons. Further research is needed to understand how consumption of energy‐dense, nutrient‐poor snack foods and SSB influences undernutrition and overnutrition among young children during the complementary feeding period in settings that are experiencing dietary transitions and the double burden of malnutrition.

“…Few studies have assessed the energy contribution of ultraprocessed foods in children's diets, which is recognized as an important determinant of the nutritional quality of diets (Food and Agriculture Organization, 2015). Studies carried out with Brazilian children under 10 years old showed that about 40% (variation between 36.1% and 48.6%) of total dietary energy intake came from ultraprocessed foods (Barcelos, Rauber, & Vitolo, 2014;Bielemann, Santos, dos Santos Costa, Matijasevich, & Santos, 2018;Leite et al, 2016;Karnopp et al, 2016;Sparrenberger, Friedrich, Schiffner, Schuch, & Wagner, 2015;Rauber et al, 2015), whereas amongst Colombian children aged 5 to 12 years old, the contribution was 34.4% (Cornwell et al, 2018). Then, the share of ultraprocessed foods in children's diets in the United Kingdom as observed in this study was almost 1.6 times higher than those observed in the Latin American countries (Barcelos et al, 2014;Bielemann et al, 2018;Cornwell et al, 2018;Karnopp et al, 2016;Leite et al, 2016;Rauber et al, 2015;Sparrenberger et al, 2015), nations in which dietary patterns are based on unprocessed and minimally processed foods.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Association between watching TV whilst eating and children's consumption of ultraprocessed foods in United Kingdom

Martines

Machado

Neri

et al. 2019

This study aimed to assess the association between watching TV whilst eating and consumption of ultraprocessed foods amongst children aged 4–10 years old in the United Kingdom. Cross‐sectional data from the UK National Diet and Nutrition Survey (NDNS 2008–2012) were analysed. Dietary data were derived from 4‐day food diaries of 1,277 children, and the dietary contribution of ultraprocessed foods was assessed. Meals were classified based on time of day in which foods were consumed (lunch: 11 pm–3 pm and dinner: 6 pm–9 pm). Crude and adjusted linear regression models were employed to verify the effect of watching TV during meals on dietary contribution of ultraprocessed foods (% of total energy intake). More than 70% of the children watched TV during meals, and 31.4% presented the behaviour on both “lunch and dinner.” Children's mean total energy intake was 1,532.3 kcal/day, of which 65.8% came from ultraprocessed foods. Findings indicated that children who watched TV whilst having both meals (lunch and dinner) consumed on average 85.5 kcal/day and 6.1% more energy from ultraprocessed foods than those who did not. Children who watched TV only during dinner consumed on average 37.1 kcal/day and 3.4% more energy from ultraprocessed foods than those who did not. The behaviour of watching TV whilst eating meals was associated with higher total daily consumption of ultraprocessed foods by children in the United Kingdom. Therefore, interventions designed to promote healthy eating habits should include aspects related to the context of meals.