Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 30, 2025
Breakfast Habits among Schoolchildren in the City of Uruguaiana, Brazil
Published on: July 29, 2020
Ultra-processed food consumption by children from a Pelotas Birth Cohort
Anna Müller Pereira1, Romina Buffarini1, Marlos Rodrigues Domingues2
1Universidade Federal de Pelotas. Faculdade de Medicina. Programa de Pós-Graduação em Epidemiologia. Pelotas, RS, Brasil.
Insights
Ultra-processed food consumption is high among 24-month-olds in the Pelotas Birth Cohort. Lower socioeconomic status, maternal education, and younger maternal age are linked to increased consumption of these unhealthy foods.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Nutrition
- Public Health
- Epidemiology
Background:
- Ultra-processed foods (UPFs) are prevalent in children's diets globally.
- Early childhood is a critical period for establishing dietary patterns.
- Understanding factors associated with UPF consumption is vital for public health interventions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the regular consumption of ultra-processed foods (UPFs) in 24-month-old children.
- To identify demographic, socioeconomic, and behavioral factors associated with UPF consumption in this cohort.
Main Methods:
- Utilized data from the 2015 Pelotas Birth Cohort, following 4,275 children to 24 months.
- Assessed regular UPF consumption via a questionnaire.
- Employed multivariate Poisson regression to analyze associations between UPF intake and various exposure variables.
Main Results:
- Mean consumption of UPFs was 4.8 (SD = 2.3) items.
- Positive associations found with black maternal skin color and having siblings.
- Negative associations observed with household income, maternal schooling, and maternal age.
Conclusions:
- High mean UPF consumption poses risks to children's diets.
- Children from lower socioeconomic backgrounds, with less educated mothers, of black skin color, and from younger mothers face higher risks.
- Findings highlight the need for targeted interventions to reduce UPF intake in vulnerable populations.
Objective:
Assessing the regular consumption of ultra-processed foods by children at 24 months of age from the 2015 Pelotas Birth Cohort and the main demographic, socioeconomic, and behavioral factors related to the consumption of these products.
Methods:
Population-based cohort in the city of Pelotas, RS, where 4,275 children were assessed at birth and 95.4% of them were followed up until 24 months of age. Food consumption was assessed by a questionnaire on regular consumption of ultra-processed foods, which collected information regarding sex, household income, maternal skin color, schooling level, and age, the child attending day care and having siblings, breastfeeding status, and obesity. The outcome was the sum of ultra-processed foods regularly consumed by a child. A multivariate Poisson regression analysis was used to calculate the association between the regular consumption of ultra-processed foods and exposure variables.
Results:
The mean number of ultra-processed foods consumed was 4.8 (SD = 2.3). The regular consumption of ultra-processed foods was positively associated with black skin color and having siblings, and negatively associated with household income and maternal schooling level and age.
Conclusion:
The mean regular consumption of ultra-processed foods by children from the 2015 Pelotas Birth Cohort is high, which can negatively affect the children's diet. The risk of consuming this kind of food was higher among children from families of lower socioeconomic status, whose mothers present lower education level, black skin color, and younger age.
Related Concept Videos
01:27Parentral Nutrition: Centeral and Peripheral Parental Nutrition
PN can be administered through two primary routes:
1. Central Parenteral Nutrition (CPN):
CPN involves delivering a high concentration of nutrients through a large vein. This is typically achieved using a Peripherally Inserted Central Catheter (PICC) or,...
01:30Regulation of Food Intake