Eating practices of children from Ceará in the food introduction phase

Abstract

Infants can be prepared to receive complementary foods from six months of age onwards. These must be diversified, provide suitable amounts of energy and nutrients and be free from added sugars and salt. They should not be industrialized, especially ultra-processed. This study aimed to describe the eating practices of children at the food introduction (FI) age in the State of Ceará, Brazil, with an emphasis on the FI approach adopted and the consumption of regional and industrialized foods. An electronic questionnaire was administered using the Google Forms tool for children up to three years of age, containing questions about their FI period. Of these, 19 were aimed at the guardian and 22 at the child’s data. Statistical analysis was performed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences 20.0. The results of 145 valid responses were expressed as absolute and relative frequencies. Of the participants, 106 (73.1%) started FI after the infants’ sixth month of life, in line with what is recommended by government bodies and professional committees, and 61 guardians (42.1%) never offered them industrialized foods during FI, which is beneficial, as chronic consumption of these foods causes a harmful outcome for health. Among 26 typical foods in Ceará State, the fruits were the most frequently included (46.4%), as they are considered to be easily accessible and have a high nutritional value. Therefore, most infants started FI at the appropriate age. The consumption frequency of processed foods was low and regional fruits were the most consumed. Children under the Baby-Led Weaning (BLW) or participatory approach consumed a greater variety of regional foods.