Ultra-processed food consumption by children from a Pelotas Birth Cohort

• Published in: Revista de saúde pública Vol. 56; p. 79
• Main Authors: Pereira, Anna Müller, Buffarini, Romina, Domingues, Marlos Rodrigues, Barros, Fernando Celso Lopes Fernandes, Silveira, Mariângela Freitas da
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English; Portuguese
• Published: Brazil Faculdade de Saúde Pública da Universidade de São Paulo 01-01-2022; Universidade de São Paulo
• Subjects: Birth Cohort; Brazil; Child; Child Development; Cohort Studies; Diet; Energy Intake; Fast Foods; Feeding Behavior; Female; Food Handling; Health Policy & Services; Humans; Industrialized Foods; Infant Food; Infant Nutrition; Infant, Newborn; Original; Brazil; Alimentos Infantis; Alimentos Industrializados; Estudos de Coortes; Infant Food; Industrialized Foods; Infant Nutrition; Child Development; Nutrição do Lactente; Desenvolvimento Infantil; Cohort Studies
• ISSN: 1518-8787; 0034-8910; 1518-8787
• DOI: 10.11606/s1518-8787.2022056003822

Assessing the regular consumption of ultra-processed foods by children at 24 months of age from the 2015 Pelotas Birth Cohort and the main demographic, socioeconomic, and behavioral factors related to the consumption of these products.
Population-based cohort in the city of Pelotas, RS, where 4,275 children were assessed at birth and 95.4% of them were followed up until 24 months of age. Food consumption was assessed by a questionnaire on regular consumption of ultra-processed foods, which collected information regarding sex, household income, maternal skin color, schooling level, and age, the child attending day care and having siblings, breastfeeding status, and obesity. The outcome was the sum of ultra-processed foods regularly consumed by a child. A multivariate Poisson regression analysis was used to calculate the association between the regular consumption of ultra-processed foods and exposure variables.
The mean number of ultra-processed foods consumed was 4.8 (SD = 2.3). The regular consumption of ultra-processed foods was positively associated with black skin color and having siblings, and negatively associated with household income and maternal schooling level and age.
The mean regular consumption of ultra-processed foods by children from the 2015 Pelotas Birth Cohort is high, which can negatively affect the children's diet. The risk of consuming this kind of food was higher among children from families of lower socioeconomic status, whose mothers present lower education level, black skin color, and younger age.