The Australian Feeding Infants and Toddlers Study (OzFITS) 2021: Study Design, Methods and Sample Description

Abstract

(1) Background: Caregiver feeding practices during the first two years of a child’s life influence nutrition, growth, and development, as well as long term taste preferences and dietary patterns. Suboptimal feeding practices lead to poorer health outcomes, such as obesity, that persist into adulthood. Although the importance of early life nutrition is well-established, there are no Australia-wide surveys of dietary intakes of children under two years of age. The 2021 Australian Feeding Infants and Toddlers Study (OzFITS) aims to fill this gap. This paper describes the methods and study sample of OzFITS 2021. (2) Methods: OzFITS 2021 is a cross-sectional study of children aged 0 to 23.9 months of age and their caregiver across Australia. Data were collected between April 2020 and April 2021. A telephone-based survey was completed with a caregiver to obtain information on child and caregiver characteristics and feeding practices. For exclusively breastfed infants, the number of breastfeeds in a 24 h period was reported. Dietary intakes for mixed fed children were estimated using a one-day food record, with 30% of caregivers completing a second food record on a non-consecutive day. (3) Results: We enrolled 1140 caregiver and child dyads. Of those eligible to complete a food record, 853 (87%) completed the food record. Compared to the Australian population, caregivers were more likely to be university-educated (>75%), married or in a de facto relationship (94%), and have a household income >$100,000/y (60%). (4) Conclusions: OzFITS 2021 is the first national study to examine food and nutrient intake in Australian children aged under 2 years. The study will provide information on breastfeeding rates and duration, use of breast milk substitutes, and timing of solid food introduction. Dietary intake data will allow the comparison of core food groups and discretionary food intake to Australian guidelines and estimate the prevalence of inadequate intake of key nutrients, like iron. Healthcare practitioners and policymakers can use the study findings as a source of evidence to inform the next iteration of infant feeding guidelines.

Usual Nutrient Intake Distribution and Prevalence of Inadequacy among Australian Children 0–24 Months: Findings from the Australian Feeding Infants and Toddlers Study (OzFITS) 2021

“…A detailed description of the OzFITS 2021 data collection procedures and survey methods can be found elsewhere [ 17 ]. OzFITS 2021 was an Australia-wide cross-sectional survey conducted between April 2020 and April 2021.…”

The Australian Feeding Infants and Toddler Study (OzFITS 2021): Breastfeeding and Early Feeding Practices

“…We used convenience sampling, which is more subject to response bias than purposeful sampling. In our case, participants were more highly educated and had a higher family income than the Australian population [ 7 , 22 ]. Despite this, our early feeding data are consistent with the ANIFS and other Australian feeding studies reported.…”

“…The methods for OzFITS 2021 are described in detail elsewhere in this supplement [ 7 ]. Briefly, caregivers with a child aged 0–24 months and who could answer questions about their dietary intake from birth were recruited using targeted social media advertisements.…”

Does Food Intake of Australian Toddlers 12–24 Months Align with Recommendations: Findings from the Australian Feeding Infants and Toddlers Study (OzFITS) 2021

“…OzFITS 2021 was a cross-sectional survey conducted with caregivers of children 0–24 months old [ 11 , 12 ]. Between April 2020 and April 2021, 1140 participants were enrolled across Australia, with recruitment proportional to population size in each state and territory.…”

“…Caregivers were randomly allocated to a day of the week to record all foods and beverages consumed by their child. The details of the food record instrument [ 13 , 14 , 15 ] and follow-up interview [ 15 ] are described in detail elsewhere in the supplement [ 11 ]. All foods and beverages were entered directly into FoodWorks™ Professional Version 10 [ 16 ] using the 2011–2013 Australian Food, Supplement and Nutrient Database [ 17 ].…”