Padrões alimentares de crianças e determinantes socioeconômicos, comportamentais e maternos

Abstract

Objective:To identify dietary patterns of children and to verify their association with socio-economical, behavioral and maternal determinants.Methods:A cross-sectional study with a random sample of 328 children aged 8 and 9 years. Dietary intake was assessed by food records in three nonconsecutive days and measured in grams of food groups and nutrients. Factor analysis and subsequent orthogonal rotation (varimax) were used to determine dietary patterns. Ordinal logistic regression was used to assess associations between dietary patterns and the studied determinants.Results:Five dietary patterns were observed: “Traditional,” “Sweetened beverages and snacks,” “Monotonous,” “Healthy” and “Egg-dairy.” A higher maternal level of education was directly associated with “Sweetened beverages and snacks” and “Egg-dairy' standards. Low income children who were submitted to greater food restriction by parents/guardians followed the more “Traditional” standard, represented by the consumption of rice, beans, vegetables, cooked roots and tubers and red meat. The “Monotonous” pattern, represented by a high consumption of milk and chocolate powder, was most followed by children from the middle class. Children living in rural areas consumed more foods from the “Egg-dairy” pattern, when compared to those from the urban area.Conclusions:Dietary patterns of children were associated with family socioeconomic status, maternal level of education, practice of food restriction by parents/guardians and location of residence in urban or rural area. Better socioeconomic conditions contributed to a more nutritionally inadequate dietary pattern.

Padrões alimentares de escolares: existem diferenças entre crianças e adolescentes?

“…The pattern showed association with adolescents with no excess weight, which can indicate its nutritional appropriateness. This pattern is also in accordance with the so-called "ovo-lacto" pattern by Villa et al 8 in children, that was characterized by the consumption of eggs, cheese and sweetened dairy drinks.…”

“…Childhood and adolescence are life stages essential for learning and establishing healthy eating habits, which tend to be maintained in adult life 6 . Besides providing food, parents also mold children's behaviors and represent role models, especially for younger children 7,8 . Dietary habits of school-age children are also influenced by other adults, and thus schools play a prominent role in the formation of new habits and in maintaining the health of children 9 .…”

“…However, Silva et al found an association between higher socioeconomic status and an obesogenic eating pattern (consisting of milk and dairy products, oils and fats, sweets and fried foods), while the traditional eating pattern (meats, eggs, vegetables, roots and fruits) showed no association with socioeconomic level 34 . Villa et al 8 observed a relationship between eating patterns and economic conditions of the family in children. Similar to the present study, McNaughton et al 35 found no association between dietary patterns and socioeconomic indicators in adolescents in Australia.…”

Factors associated with regular consumption of obesogenic foods: National School-Based Student Health Hurvey, 2012

“…Similarly, investigating the association between maternal determinants and dietary patterns of children, Villa et al 25 found that children whose mothers had nine or more years of education consumed more "sugary drinks and snacks". These authors also showed that the probability of children having a diet rich in these food items increased by four times when maternal level of education was 12 or more years, compared to mothers who had less years of education.…”

Relationship between food consumption, nutritional status and school performance

“…The context in which a child is inserted influences eating habits, mainly through the availability of food at home, as well as stipulated rules for eating practices. In addition, parents tend to have their feeding behavior shown in their chidren, and a child who is exposed to inadequate food can follow it during adult life 2,3 .…”