Abstract
The introduction of complementary foods is a crucial stage in the development and determination of infants’ health status in both the short and longer-term. This study describes complementary feeding practices among infants and toddlers in Spain. Also, relationships among sample characteristics (both parents and their child), feeding practices (timing, type of complementary food), and parental pressure to eat were explored. Cognitive interviewing with 18 parents was used to refine the survey questions. Responses from a national random sample of 630 parents, who were responsible for feeding their infants and toddlers aged 3–18 months, were obtained. Solids, often cereals and/or fruits first, were introduced at a median age of five months. Fish and eggs were introduced around the age of nine and ten months. Almost all children were fed with home-prepared foods at least once per week (93%), and in 36% of the cases, salt was added. Interestingly, higher levels of parental pressure to eat were found in female infants, younger parents, parents with a full-time job, the southern regions of Spain, and in infants who were not fed with home-prepared foods. Our insights underline the importance of clear feeding recommendations that can support health care professionals in promoting effective strategies to improve parental feeding practices.
Highlights
IntroductionChildhood overweight and obesity represent a major health problem, in developed countries [1,2], and Spain is no exception as evidenced in many studies over the years [3,4,5,6,7]
This study aims to provide a comprehensive description of feeding practices among Spanish infants and toddlers aged 3–18 months, including the timing of introduction, types of complementary food, and home-prepared feeding habits
This study described complementary feeding practices and explored potential associations among parental and infant characteristics, feeding practices, and parental pressure to eat among Spanish infants and toddlers
Summary
Childhood overweight and obesity represent a major health problem, in developed countries [1,2], and Spain is no exception as evidenced in many studies over the years [3,4,5,6,7]. The current study provides new insights about complementary feeding practices of infants and toddlers in Spain. The introduction of complementary foods is a crucial stage in the development and determination of infants’ health status in both the short and longer-term [8,9,10,11]. The order of introduction, variety, and repeated exposure to complementary foods are related to the development of food preferences and eating habits later in life [12,13,14,15,16,17]. It is not surprising that: “the way in which a child is introduced to complementary foods may have effects on the individual’s entire life” [11] (p. 1)
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