by Newswise — URBANA, Ill. – Early childhood is an important time to learn about nutrition and establish healthy eating behaviors. Young children rely on parents to provide food choices, and the availability of food at home influences their dietary choices. A new study from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign looks at changes in home food availability and nutrient intake for children ages 2 to 4.
“It’s important to understand how the environments children are in can influence their diet and nutrition. What types of food and drink are available at home, and how accessible are these items to the young child? It’s about the likelihood of being exposed to foods and having the opportunity to try foods, and also whether they are able to find foods or find them themselves,” said lead author Jennifer Barton, now a research assistant professor in Pennsylvania State University. Barton conducted the research as a postdoctoral research associate at the Center for Family Resilience in the Department of Human Development and Family Studies (HDFS), part of the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences (ACES) in Illinois.
Barton and her colleagues used the Home Food Inventory (HFI) to measure food availability at 24, 36, and 48 months of age. The HFI is a comprehensive checklist of food categories administered by a research assistant who visits the households of the participating households. The researchers correlated the HFI data with surveys of the children’s food consumption by their mothers.
“We found significant changes in some food categories over time. Food items such as whole grains, processed meats, savory snacks, candy, and microwave or instant foods were more commonly available at home at 48 months compared to 24 and 36 months,” said Barton.
The study included 468 mothers and children who were participants in STRONG Kids 2, an ongoing research project at Illinois that looks at nutrition and healthy habits from infants through 10 years of age. STRONG Kids 2 co-directors Barbara Fiese, professor emerita at HDFS, and Sharon Donovan, professor of food science and human nutrition at Illinois, also contributed to the study.
The HFI includes an obesity score, which reflects the obesity risk associated with different foods. However, the scores are based on dietary recommendations for older children and include normal-fat dairy products such as milk, yogurt and cheese. Young children have different energy and nutritional needs, and dairy products are considered part of a healthy diet for young children, which is essential for growth and development.
The researchers tested three carcinogenic scores, two of which were developmentally sensitive scores that excluded milk, yogurt and cheese. Even with the modified categories, they found that oncogenic scores increased significantly from 24 to 48 months.
“It makes sense that as children get older, the presence of more energy-dense and high-fat foods will increase. Children may request these foods more often, and outside influences, such as peer opinions, are becoming more apparent. I would like to point out that we got some positive changes. There are also more vegetables available at home at 48 months,” said Barton.
“The point is not to label certain foods as good or bad. We probably all have food items in our house that are not ‘recommended’. It’s really about trying to make sure we get enough of the recommended nutritious foods and eat the non-recommended items in moderation.”
The second research goal was to test the validity of the HFI measure for young children, as the method was developed for teenagers. Barton and her colleagues conducted comprehensive tests of associations between food availability and nutrient intake, finding the expected results.
For example, the availability of processed meats such as lunch meats and hot dogs was correlated with higher saturated fat intake. Sweetened beverages, candy, desserts, and savory snacks were correlated with higher intake of these foods. A higher presence of fruits and vegetables in the home was also a consistent indicator of nutrients. These results indicate that HFI is a reliable measure of home food availability and is related to food and nutrient intake for children aged 24, 36, and 48 months, according to the researchers.
Supporting parents to make healthy decisions for their families is important, but food choice is much more than individual behavior, Barton said.
“There are complex factors that influence parents’ decisions. Children may crave certain foods, which may come from the influence of the media and advertising. We should also consider who else lives at home such as siblings, and the parents may have work demands and financial stresses that may affect family life. Many people struggle with the distance to food stores and access to fresh foods as well as food insecurity. I believe we need a food systems approach to ensure that people have access to nutritious food and that parents feel supported in making decisions to promote the health and well-being of themselves and their children,” she said. in conclusion.
The paper, “Longitudinal Changes in Home Food Availability and Concurrent Associations with Food and Nutrient Intake among Children at 24 to 48 Months” is published in Public Health Promotion [DOI: 10.1017/S1368980024000375]. Authors include Jennifer M. Barton, Arden L. McMath, Stewart P. Montgomery, Sharon M. Donovan. and Barbara H. Fiese.
This research was funded by grants from the National Dairy Council, the Gerber Foundation, the Christopher Family Foundation, Hatch ILLU 793–330 from the US Department of Agriculture, and the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), National Institutes. Health (grant number R01 DK107561) to Sharon Donovan. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.
