Preschool Children's Eating Habits and Parental Nutritional Status

Background/Objectives: Poor nutrition in early life represents a relevant public health issue globally. The current study aimed to characterize eating habits among preschoolers and investigate the relationship with parents' nutritional status. Methods: A secondary analysis of a cross-sectional study carried out at the Child Dentistry Clinics of the Istituto Stomatologico Italiano, Milan, Italy, including 171 patients aged 12-71 months and their parents, was conducted. Demographic data, anthropometric measurements, and information on children's eating habits were collected. Results: The duration of exclusive breastfeeding was 5.9 (±6.8) months in 65% of children, and complementary feeding began at a mean (±SD) of 6.2 (±1.7) months in accordance with present recommendations. In contrast, the consumption of fruit juice 3.2 (±2.9) times/week, a protein intake of 3.0 (±0.6) g/kg, and a sugar intake of 20 (±8)% were over guideline limits. Overweight/obese children were introduced to cow's milk earlier (p = 0.033) and consumed a higher percentage of total fats (p = 0.026) whilst consuming a lower percentage of carbohydrates (p = 0.050). In terms of children with both parents being obese or overweight, they consumed more carbohydrates (p = 0.048). Finally, we found that birth weight correlated positively with maternal BMI (ρ = 0.159; p < 0.05). The number of offspring correlated positively with the weekly frequency of sugar-sweetened beverage consumption before 24 months (ρ = 0.282; p < 0.001) whilst correlating negatively with the age of cow's milk introduction (ρ = -0.226; p < 0.01). Conclusions: Our findings, according to recommendations, suggest that the prevention of obesity needs to begin in infancy. As parents play a pivotal role in establishing children's food choices, nutritional education aimed at families is needed.