Associated factors with early introduction of ultra-processed foods in feeding of children under two years old

Abstract

Objective: To verify the association of maternal and anthropometric factors with consumption of ultra-processed foods in children between 4 to 24 months. Methods: cross-sectional study with 300 children hospitalized in a tertiary hospital and their mothers. The interview took place during the first 72 hours of hospitalization to avoid interference in the responses about the child’s diet. Maternal factors investigated: age, schooling, income, parity, BMI and guidance on complementary feeding. Variables related to the child investigated: age, breastfeeding, infant school, BMI/age, height/age, weight/age and introduction of ultra-processed food. The association between the factors studied and introduction of ultra-processed food was tested by linear regression. The significance level considered was 0.05. Results:. It was verified that only 21% of the children had not yet received any type of ultra-processed food, and 56.5% received any of these foods before 6 months. In the multivariate analysis, maternal schooling, family income, maternal age and parity were associated with ultra-processed food supply. Conclusions: The feeding practices of children between 4 and 24 months are inadequate when compared to the recommendations for the age group.