P31 Associations Between Snack Food and Demographics, Family Meals and Fruit/Vegetable Intake Among Rural 7- to 10-Year-Old Children

Abstract

<h3>Background</h3> Snacking is common among children; often including low-nutrient dense foods. Children from rural areas consume fewer fruits and vegetables (FV) than recommended but little is known about their snacking patterns. <h3>Objective</h3> Examine associations between different types of snacks and demographics, family meal frequency and FV intake among rural children. <h3>Study Design, Setting, Participants</h3> Baseline data (2017/2018) were used from 106 parent/child dyads in the NU-HOME randomized controlled trial designed to prevent childhood obesity in rural communities. Children were mostly female (60%), 8.9 years old on average (SD = 104) and 28% of families received economic assistance. Parents reported on their child's snacking via text surveys on 7 random evenings over a 2-week period. Past week family meal frequency and demographics (child age, sex, economic assistance, parent education) were collected via parent survey. FV servings were averaged over 2 dietary recalls. <h3>Measurable Outcome/Analysis</h3> Snack categories were created using factor analysis: Fruit/Yogurt (Fruit, yogurt, 100% juice), Vegetables/Cheese, Granola bars/Chips (including cereal and crackers), and Sugar-sweetened snacks (sugar-sweetened beverages, candy, baked sweets, ice cream). Items in each snack category were summed over 7 days. Correlations and t-tests examined associations between the number of items from each snack category and demographics, family meal frequency, and FV servings. <h3>Results</h3> Children ate a variety of foods for snacks with most being sugar-sweetened snacks (M = 5.52, SD = 3.64) followed by Fruit/Yogurt (M = 4.97, SD = 3.39), Granola bars/Chips (M = 3.67, SD = 2.38), and Vegetables/Cheese (M = 2.24, SD = 2.10). Children whose families received economic assistance were more likely to eat Fruit/Yogurt snacks (6.2 vs 4.5 snacks; <i>P</i> = .02) and less likely to eat Sugar-sweetened snacks (4.2 vs 6.0 snacks; <i>P</i> = .02) than those who did not receive economic assistance. Family meal frequency was negatively correlated with Sugar-sweetened snacks (r = −0.25; <i>P</i> = .009). Servings of FV was positively correlated with Fruit/Yogurt snacks (r = 0.19; <i>P</i> = .046). <h3>Conclusions</h3> Innovative, real-time snacking data indicate nutrition educators should encourage nutrient-dense snacks particularly among families who do not regularly eat family meals.