Junk food seen at pediatric clinic visits: is it a problem?

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Johnnie P Frazier1, Megan Land, Pei-Hsuan Hsieh

  • 11University of Texas Medical School at Houston, Houston, TX, USA.

Clinical Pediatrics
|November 8, 2013
PubMed

Insights

Junk food was observed at 20.9% of pediatric clinic visits. A trend suggested higher body mass index in children with junk food present, highlighting a need for dietary interventions.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Health
  • Nutrition Science
  • Public Health

Background:

  • Childhood obesity is a growing concern.
  • Dietary habits established in childhood significantly impact long-term health.
  • The clinic environment may influence or reflect family food choices.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To determine the prevalence of junk food observed during pediatric clinic visits.
  • To explore potential associations between junk food presence and patient body mass index.

Main Methods:

  • A cross-sectional survey of 23 observed food items was conducted.
  • Medical staff surveyed 738 families with children aged 4 months to 16 years.
  • Data was collected from June 2011 to March 2012 in pediatric clinics.

Main Results:

  • Junk food was observed in 20.9% of clinic visits.
  • A trend indicated a higher body mass index in children whose families brought junk food.
  • Exclusively breast and formula-fed infants were excluded from the analysis.

Conclusions:

  • Junk food is frequently present during pediatric clinic visits.
  • The findings suggest a link between junk food at visits and increased body mass index.
  • Further research into dietary interventions in clinical settings is warranted.
Abstract

Keywords:
BMIjunk foodnutrition counseling

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