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Babies, soft drinks and snacks: a concern in low- and middle-income countries?
Sandra L Huffman1, Ellen G Piwoz, Stephen A Vosti
1Department of Nutrition and Program in International and Community Nutrition, University of California, Davis, California, USA.
Insights
Many young children consume sugary snacks, with consumption rising with age and wealth. This trend is concerning given the dual burden of undernutrition and rising overweight in children globally.
Area of Science:
- Global child nutrition
- Dietary patterns in early childhood
- Public health and food policy
Background:
- Undernutrition remains a global health priority for infants and young children.
- Overweight is an emerging issue, with increasing consumption of unhealthy snacks and drinks observed in low- and middle-income countries.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the prevalence of sugary snack food consumption among children aged 6-23 months in 18 Asian and African countries.
- To analyze household expenditure on soft drinks and biscuits.
- To identify factors associated with sugary snack consumption in early childhood.
Main Methods:
- Utilized data from Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) for 18 countries to determine sugary snack consumption.
- Analyzed household expenditure data from four Living Standards Measurement Studies (LSMS) for soft drinks and biscuits.
- Examined associations between consumption patterns, child age, household wealth, and urban/rural residence.
Main Results:
- Sugary snack consumption increased with child's age and household wealth, and was higher in urban areas.
- Over 20% of infants (6-8 months) consumed sugary snacks in one-third of surveyed countries.
- Consumption rates reached up to 75% in Asian children and 46% in African children during their second year of life, often exceeding intake of healthier options.
Conclusions:
- Sugary snack consumption is prevalent among young children in low- and middle-income countries, posing a risk to nutritional status.
- Future research should standardize snack food definitions and data collection methods for better insights.
- Further studies are needed to link snack consumption with stunting and overweight, and to understand associated determinants.
Abstract:
Undernutrition in infants and young children is a global health priority while overweight is an emerging issue. Small-scale studies in low- and middle-income countries have demonstrated consumption of sugary and savoury snack foods and soft drinks by young children. We assessed the proportion of children 6-23 months of age consuming sugary snack foods in 18 countries in Asia and Africa using data from selected Demographic and Health Surveys and household expenditures on soft drinks and biscuits using data from four Living Standards Measurement Studies (LSMS). Consumption of sugary snack foods increased with the child's age and household wealth, and was generally higher in urban vs. rural areas. In one-third of countries, >20% of infants 6-8 months consumed sugary snacks. Up to 75% of Asian children and 46% of African children consumed these foods in the second year of life. The proportion of children consuming sugary snack foods was generally higher than the proportion consuming fortified infant cereals, eggs or fruit. Household per capita daily expenditures on soft drinks ranged from $0.03 to $0.11 in three countries for which LSMS data were available, and from $0.01 to $0.04 on biscuits in two LSMS. Future surveys should include quantitative data on the purchase and consumption of snack foods by infants and young children, using consistent definitions and methods for identifying and categorising snack foods across surveys. Researchers should assess associations between snack food consumption and stunting and overweight, and characterise household, maternal and child characteristics associated with snack food consumption.
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