Abstract
Background: Understanding early-life complementary feeding dietary patterns and their determining factors could lead to better ways of improving nutrition in early childhood. The purpose of this review was to evaluate evidence of the association between sociodemographic factors and dietary patterns (DPs) in children under 24 months. Methods: Medline (PubMed), Cochrane Central, NICE guidelines, and Trip database were searched for observational studies that evaluated sociodemographic factors and their associations with DP. Results: Seven studies were selected for the present review. High education level among mothers was inversely associated with unhealthy DPs and positively associated with healthy DPs. Higher household income was negatively associated with unhealthy DPs. Four studies showed a positive association between low household income and unhealthy DPs and three studies showed a positive association between higher household income and healthy DPs. Additionally, in younger mothers, body mass index (BMI ≥ 30.0 kg/m2) and number of children were positively associated with unhealthy DPs. Conclusions: This review provides evidence of a positive association between mothers’ higher education level, higher household income, higher maternal age, and healthy dietary patterns as well as a negative association between these factors and unhealthy dietary patterns. Further studies from low- and middle-income countries are needed for comparison with associations showed in this review.
Highlights
Good nutrition through childhood, during the first two years, is crucial to optimum growth, health, and behavioral development [1]
This review suggests the presence of an association between sociodemographic factors and dietary patterns (DPs) in children under 24 months
Five studies included in the present review showed that higher maternal education levels were associated with “healthy” DPs [47–49,52,53], whereas lower maternal education were associated with
Summary
During the first two years, is crucial to optimum growth, health, and behavioral development [1] In this sense, during the first six months of life, breast milk fulfills infants’ energy and nutrition needs. Complementary feeding has been assessed in terms of variety of foods and nutrient needs For many years, this representation has been considered an important health indicator where each nutrient has a function in the health–disease process [8–13]. Understanding early-life complementary feeding DPs, their determining factors, and their influence on later health could lead to better ways of improving nutrition in early childhood [14–16]. Understanding early-life complementary feeding dietary patterns and their determining factors could lead to better ways of improving nutrition in early childhood. Further studies from low- and middle-income countries are needed for comparison with associations showed in this review
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