Demographic and socio-economic factors related to food intake and adherence to nutritional recommendations in a cohort of pre-school children

Abstract

Objective: To examine: (i) children's food intake and adherence to both Canada's Food Guide for Healthy Eating and Dietary Reference Intakes; and (ii) the social and demographic factors related to children's food intake. Design: A cross-sectional study. Setting: Data were obtained through the Quebec Longitudinal Study of Child Development 1998-2010, a representative sample (n 2103) of children born in 1998 in the province of Quebec, Canada. Information on energy, macronutrient and food consumption was derived from responses to a 24 h dietary recall interview addressed to children's mothers and day-care staff when the children were 4 years old. Subjects: A total of 1549 children aged 4 years who participated in a nutritional sub-study. Results: The mean daily total energy intake was 6360 kJ (1520 kcal) for girls and 6916 kJ (1653 kcal) for boys. For boys and girls alike, energy intake was comprised of approximately 54 % carbohydrates, 31 % fats and 15 % proteins. The mean number of servings consumed from each of the four essential food groups closely approached the dietary recommendations made by Canada's Food Guide for Healthy Eating; however, ,2 % of the children in the present study actually met the full dietary guidelines. The dietary intake of pre-school children was associated with socioeconomic and demographic factors, most notably mother's level of education, mother's immigrant status and sex of the child. Conclusions: Diet-related disparities associated with socio-economic and demographic factors exist from as early as 4 years of age.

Persistent and occasional poverty and children's food consumption: evidence from a longitudinal Québec birth cohort

“…Study results complement a recently published study reporting that moving from the highest income to the lowest income was associated with poorer variety of fruit consumption among 5-year-old children in Scotland 31. This study extends to middle childhood and early adolescence from Dubois et al 's previous findings of the QLSCD children at 4 years of age,16 which reported household income was significantly associated with fruit and vegetable consumption, but not with dairy consumption.…”

“…Covariates in the multivariable analyses included demographic (such as age, sex), household (such as whether at least one parent had at least a high-school education at study enrolment, and whether the mother was an immigrant), and health characteristics (such as whether the child was overweight or obese) that have previously been shown to be associated with either poverty or nutritional behaviours 16 17. At each data collection wave, children's height and weight were measured in duplicate by trained study staff using a standard measuring tape to the nearest 0.1 cm, and a calibrated spring scale to the nearest 0.1 kg, respectively.…”

“…These additional variables were not confounders in the multivariable analysis but were helpful for multiple imputation model fit and convergence. Because Dubois et al had previously reported the association between household income and nutrition in this cohort when the children were 4 years of age,16 the parental report of the child's nutritional behaviours before the age of 6 years was included in the imputation model but not analysed in multivariable models. Model convergence was met, and there were no systematic trends noted in the autocorrelation and time-series plots.…”

A Review of the Relationship Between Socioeconomic Position and the Early-Life Predictors of Obesity

“…Similar findings of the influence of maternal education or SEP were observed in studies assessing both meeting feeding guidelines (e.g. appropriate age of solids introduction) and child dietary patterns from the USA [91][92][93], Canada [94,95], UK [96,97], France [98], Australia [99], Brazil [100] and Peru [101]. A 2009 review of the determinants of early weaning and the introduction of cow's milk in infants found strong evidence for a relationship with low levels of both maternal education and SEP [102].…”

A repeat cross-sectional study examining the equitable impact of nutritional standards for school lunches in England in 2008 on the diets of 4-7y olds across the socio-economic spectrum

“…Socio-economic differences in diet are well established; children from more deprived families have been found to consume more energy dense [35-38] and less nutrient-dense foods [39]. Factors such as availability, accessibility [40], parental education and income [37], and cost of foods have been identified as contributing factors [41].…”