Post-Pandemic Feeding Patterns and Mediterranean Diet Adherence in Spanish Toddlers

During the last decade, feeding patterns, more specifically those of children, have worsened-affecting dietary habits and Mediterranean diet adherence. Here, we examine the post-pandemic feeding habits of Spanish toddlers. A total of 2465 parents of children aged between 12 and 36 months completed a...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Reyes-Domínguez, Ana Isabel, Bernabeu-Sendra, Javier, Rodríguez, Cristina|||0000-0002-6472-5647, Santamaria-Orleans, Alicia|||0000-0003-0689-2559, de Castellar-Sanso, Roser|||0000-0003-1011-1516, Martinez-Perez, Jorge
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Fecha de publicación:2023
País:España
Institución:Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona
Repositorio:Dipòsit Digital de Documents de la UAB
Idioma:inglés
OAI Identifier:oai:ddd.uab.cat:301734
Acceso en línea:https://ddd.uab.cat/record/301734
https://dx.doi.org/urn:doi:10.3390/nu15092049
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Mediterranean diet
Balanced diet
Growing-up milk
Toddlers
Descripción
Sumario:During the last decade, feeding patterns, more specifically those of children, have worsened-affecting dietary habits and Mediterranean diet adherence. Here, we examine the post-pandemic feeding habits of Spanish toddlers. A total of 2465 parents of children aged between 12 and 36 months completed an online 25-item multiple-choice survey asking about dietary habits and Mediterranean diet adherence. Only 34 children (1.38%) had an adequate intake of all of the food groups included in the questionnaire. Adherence worsened as toddlers grew (p < 0.0001). Further, lower compliance was found in children with a higher intake of fast food (p < 0.001), those with siblings (p = 0.0045), and children who were the second or third child (p = 0.0005). The food group with the most commonly reported adequate intake was fish (88% of children), followed by pulses (80%), water (79%), and meat (78%). Cow's milk was the most commonly consumed dairy product among all age groups analyzed. Half of the children exhibited a low consumption of milk and dairy products. These results showed that a lack of adherence to a balanced diet is common among Spanish toddlers in the post-pandemic period and that greater parent education could improve the nutrition of toddlers.