Early consumption of non-recommended foods among southern Brazilian infants

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate the consumption of non-recommended foods among children under the primary care assistance service in the city of Porto Alegre, RS. Materials and Methods: The sample included children living in the territory of twenty health care centers. The mothers of the 6 to 9 months old children answered to a structured questionnaire confirming if the children had already eaten some specific foods. Afterwards, at 12 to 15 months, another investigation related to the children´s food consumption during the last month was conducted. Results: Soft drink, candies and cookies were consumed by, approximately, 40% of the children at 6 to 9 months and 80% at 12 to 15 months. The consumption prevalence of table sugar, petit suisse and jelly was above 70% at both moments. Fried foods and chocolate were consumed by more than 80% of the children at 12 to 15 months old. Conclusion: The results of this study show a high consumption prevalence of non-recommended foods among children under two years old, emphasizing the importance of improving dietary counseling skills of primary care workers.