Factors associated to the consumption of ultra-processed foods and sugar-sweetened beverages in infants under 24 months of age

Abstract

Objective To review the consumption of ultra-processed foods and sugar-sweetened beverages among children under 24 months of age in an Amazonian municipality. Methods A cross-sectional study was carried out during the National Vaccination Campaigns in the years 2016 and 2017 using a two-stage cluster sampling approach. The survey instrument was based on the questionnaire from the II Breastfeeding Prevalence Survey issued by the Ministry of Health, Brazil. Data collection was carried out with the mothers or caregivers. Poisson regression with robust variance was used, with a significance level set at less than 5%. Results A total of 688 children were evaluated. The consumption of ultra-processed foods was 98.9% and that of sugar-sweetened beverages was 72.7%. Factors associated with such consumption were low paternal education, lower total family income, living in rural areas, and the child’s age range between 6 and 11 months. Conclusion The consumption of ultra-processed foods and sugar-sweetened beverages was high considering the recommendations of the Brazilian Ministry of Health. The factors identified as contributing to this practice emphasize the necessity of supporting the development of interventions to promote healthy eating habits.