Dietary intake of Indigenous Australian infants and young children in the Gomeroi gaaynggal cohort

Abstract

Aim The nutritional quality of foods consumed by infants and young children to complement breastfeeding or formula feeding influences growth and development. The aim of this study was to identify the dietary intake of Indigenous infants and young children in the Gomeroi gaaynggal cohort, and evaluate the nutritional adequacy of their intake compared with Australian recommendations. Methods Dietary intake was assessed using diet recalls at approximately 9‐, 12‐ and 24‐month visits. Nutrient values of foods were obtained from AUSNUT 2011‐13 and nutrient intake compared to the Australian Nutrient Reference Values. Foods were categorised into food groups and intakes compared to the Australian Guide to Healthy Eating. Results A total of 206 infants and young children were included in the study. Of these, 95 individual children had dietary data collected between 7.6 and 24.7 months. Infant formula and breastfeeding rates were highest among infants (70% and 20%, respectively). Cow's milk intake was highest among young children (75%). Infants and young children in the cohort met most macro‐ and micronutrient intake recommendations. Few young children met recommendation for iron (42%), no infant met recommendation for omega‐3 fatty acids and almost all exceeded recommendation for sodium. Most young children met daily dairy and fruit recommendations although intake of discretionary foods was high. Conclusions This study found that diets of Indigenous infants and young children met most key nutrient reference targets. Potential target areas that require dietary optimisation have been identified and will be the focus of community‐led strategies in adequate infant nutrition promotion.

Potential of Egg as Complementary Food to Improve Nutrient Intake and Dietary Diversity

“…Although multiple 24-h recalls may have been preferable, the aim of the dietary intake data was to describe the mean (or median) intakes at the group level, in which case a single 24-h recall per participant is acceptable [50]. Breastmilk intake was estimated using average age-specific published values [33], which is common practice in dietary assessment [51,52]. A further limitation is that delivery of eggs to children in the egg group was done monthly, and monitoring adherence was compromised by the strict lockdown regulations due to COVID-19 at the time of the study.…”