Abstract
Individuals of South Asian ethnicity have an increased risk for obesity and related diseases. Foods available in the home during the first 1000 days (conception to 24 months old) are an important determinant of diet, yet no study has examined the association of early‐life home food availability (HFA) with later diet and obesity risk in South Asian households. We examined whether obesogenic HFA at 18 months of age is associated with dietary intake and body mass index (BMI) at 36 months of age in low‐income Pakistani and White households in the United Kingdom. In this prospective birth cohort study (Born in Bradford 1000), follow‐up assessments occurred at 18 (n = 1032) and 36 (n = 986) months of age. Variety and quantity of snack foods and sugar‐sweetened beverages (SSBs) in the home and consumed were measured using the HFA Inventory Checklist and food frequency questionnaires, respectively. BMI was calculated using measured length/height and weight. Multinomial logistic regression models examined associations between HFA and tertiles of dietary intake, and multivariable linear regression models assessed associations between HFA and BMI. Pakistani households had a greater variety and quantity of snack foods and SSBs available compared with White households. Variety and quantity of snack foods and SSBs in the home at 18 months were positively associated with children's intake of these items at 36 months, but associations between HFA and BMI were null. Reducing obesogenic HFA during the first 1000 days may promote the development of more healthful diets, though this may not be associated with lower obesity risk during toddlerhood.
Highlights
Individuals from South Asia are one of the largest immigrant groups in the United States (US Census Bureau, 2016), Canada (National Household Survey, 2013) and the United Kingdom (UK Office for National Statistics, 2012b), with Pakistani immigrants constituting the second largest South Asian immigrant group in each country and the third largest ethnic group in the United Kingdom (UK Office for National Statistics, 2012a)
It may be more promising to focus on the home food availability (HFA) of obesogenic items, such as snack foods and sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs), during the first 1000 days as a modifiable risk factor for unhealthy diets and childhood obesity (Brown, Halvorson, Cohen, Lazorick, & Skelton, 2015)
No differences in HFA of snack foods or SSBs were observed according to immigrant generation
Summary
Individuals from South Asia are one of the largest immigrant groups in the United States (US Census Bureau, 2016), Canada (National Household Survey, 2013) and the United Kingdom (UK Office for National Statistics, 2012b), with Pakistani immigrants constituting the second largest South Asian immigrant group in each country and the third largest ethnic group in the United Kingdom (UK Office for National Statistics, 2012a). The study was not powered to examine differences in HFA according to acculturation, which has been associated with HFA of SSBs in households of Hispanic/Latino adolescents (Santiago-Torres et al, 2016) This manuscript addresses these gaps using data from BiB1000, a multi-ethnic birth cohort of low-income households in the United Kingdom designed to consider exposures to obesity in early life (Bryant et al, 2013). The objectives were to describe the availability of obesogenic items (snack foods and SSBs) in the homes of second- and third-generation Pakistani toddlers and White toddlers and to determine if HFA of obesogenic items at 18 months of age was associated with toddler's dietary intake of snack foods and SSBs and BMI at 36 months of age. HFA of snack foods and SSBs was expected to be positively associated with dietary intake of these foods/beverages and BMI in both Pakistani and White toddlers
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