Sociodemographic factors are associated with dietary patterns in Mexican schoolchildren

Abstract

ObjectiveChildhood obesity has increased rapidly in Mexico, along with changes in the food environment. However, little is known about the dietary patterns (DP) of Mexican children. We aimed to characterize the DP of schoolchildren and to analyse their associations with sociodemographic factors.DesignCross-sectional analysis. Dietary and sociodemographic information was obtained, including a single 24 h recall, socio-economic status (SES), geographic region, area of residence and ethnicity. DP were defined with cluster analysis (using k-means). Multinomial logistic regression models, adjusted for the survey design, were used to assess associations between DP and sociodemographic variables.Setting2012 Mexican National Health and Nutrition Survey (ENSANUT-2012).SubjectsSchoolchildren (n 2751) aged 5–11 years who participated in ENSANUT-2012.ResultsFour DP were identified: ‘Traditional’, ‘Industrialized’, ‘Varied’ and ‘Modern’. Reported energy intake (mean (sd)) was lowest in the ‘Traditional’ and highest in the ‘Industrialized’ DP (7037 (3707) kJ/d (1682 (886) kcal/d) v. 8427 (3753) kJ/d (2014 (897) kcal/d), respectively, P<0·05). Significant differences in fat and fibre intakes were seen across DP. Non-indigenous v. indigenous children were 22·0 times (95 % CI 5·1, 93·6) more likely to have a ‘Modern’ rather than ‘Traditional’ DP. Relative likelihood of having an ‘Industrialized’ rather than ‘Traditional’ DP was 6·2 (95 % CI 3·9, 9·9) among schoolchildren from high SES v. low SES.ConclusionsAmong Mexican schoolchildren, DP were associated with sociodemographic variables. Non-indigenous children were significantly more likely to consume a ‘Modern’ than a ‘Traditional’ DP. Children with higher SES were more likely to have an ‘Industrialized’ pattern. It is necessary to consider dietary characteristics in the different sociodemographic strata when dietary interventions are designed.

Contribución de los alimentos a la ingesta total de energía en la dieta de los mexicanos mayores de cinco años

“…El consumo de cereales de grano entero es importante en la dieta por ser fuente de nutrimentos esenciales y porque disminuye el riesgo de enfermedades, 21 sin embargo, desde hace unas décadas ha aumentado la producción y consumo de cereales altamente refinados, 22 lo que ha llevado a un consumo deficiente de cereal de grano entero, representado actualmente por la tortilla y otros productos tradicionales elaborados con masa. La recomendación de las GAM sobre consumo de energía de este grupo es muy similar al consumo observado; sin embargo, se aconseja que la mayor parte del consumo sea de granos enteros o mínimamente procesados, 12 por lo que la recomendación de este estudio es asegurar que la tortilla de maíz y los productos de masa de maíz, principal fuente de energía en la dieta de los mexicanos, se elaboren a partir de maíz nixtamalizado molido de la manera más parecida al método tradicional de molienda en metate, ya que no se tiene la certeza de la cantidad de grano entero que actualmente contiene la tortilla y los derivados elaborados a partir de harina de maíz nixtamalizada.…”

“…[8][9][10] Las Guías Alimentarias Mexicanas (GAM) 11 recomiendan reducir el consumo de bebidas azucaradas, de alimentos no básicos altos en grasas saturadas, azúcar y densidad energética y de alimentos de origen animal (excluyendo lácteos), y aumentar frutas, verduras, leguminosas y oleaginosas. 12 Estudios previos han documentado diferencias en la dieta y en la ingestión de energía y de micronutrientes entre regiones geográficas 13,14 y niveles socioeconómicos 15,16 en México. Asimismo, se ha publicado la contribución a la ingesta de energía (CIE) en ocho grupos de alimentos y bebidas en México; 12 sin embargo, no existen publicaciones que describan detalladamente los alimentos que contribuyen mayormente a esta ingesta de cada grupo de alimentos y de la dieta completa de la población mexicana y su variación por subgrupos de población.…”

Overweight and obesity of school-age children in El Salvador according to two international systems: a population-based multilevel and spatial analysis

“…In LMIC, socioeconomically advantaged children are more likely to consume high-density energy food products and sweetened beverages [31]. A national study in school-age children from Mexico showed a direct association between high socioeconomic status and unhealthy dietary patterns [32]. Generally, these unhealthy diets are constituted of foods and beverages with high content of sodium, added sugar and fats, and are associated with increasing obesity and cardiometabolic risk factors [33].…”

The Role of Public Nutrition Research Organizations in the Construction, Implementation and Evaluation of Evidence-Based Nutrition Policy: Two National Experiences in Mexico

“…The persistence of undernutrition and obesity in low and middle-income countries, such as Mexico, are related to both poor quality diets and positive energy expenditure [2]. Analysis from the National Health and Nutrition Surveys 2012 characterized the food consumption of the Mexican population and found a high contribution to total energy intake of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) and high energy-dense nutrient-poor foods [28,29,30,31]. Reports of expert consultation from World Health Organization (WHO)/Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) [32,33] and World Cancer Research Fund International (WCRF)/American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR) [14] have identified several risk factors for obesity, including sedentary living, consumption of SSBs, high energy-dense foods and fast food, and time spent viewing television.…”