Early childhood is an important time to learn about nutrition and establish healthy eating behaviors. Young children depend on parents to provide them with food options, and the availability of food in the home affects their dietary choices. A new study from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign looks at changes in household food availability and nutrient intake for children ages 2 to 4.
“It’s important to understand how the environments children are in can influence their diet and nutrition. What types of foods and beverages are available in the home and how accessible are those items to the young child? It’s about the probability of exposure to food. and having the opportunity to try food, and also whether they can access it or grab it themselves,” said lead author Jennifer Barton, now a research assistant professor at Pennsylvania State University. Barton conducted the research as a postdoctoral research associate at the Family Resilience Center in the Department of Human Development and Family Studies (HDFS), part of the Illinois College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences (ACES).
Barton and colleagues used the Home Food Inventory (HFI) to measure food availability at 24, 36, and 48 months of age. The HFI is a comprehensive checklist of food categories administered by a research assistant who visits the homes of participating families. The researchers correlated the HFI data with surveys of children’s food consumption conducted by their mothers.
“We found significant changes in several food categories over time. Foods such as non-whole grains, processed meats, salty snacks, sweets, and microwavable or quick-cooking foods were more commonly available in the home at 48 months compared to at 24 and 36 months,” Barton said.
The study included 468 mothers and children who participated in STRONG Kids 2, an ongoing research project in Illinois that examines nutrition and healthy habits from infancy to age 10. STRONG Kids 2 co-directors Barbara Fiese, HDFS professor emeritus, and Sharon Donovan, professor of food science and human nutrition at Illinois, also contributed to the study.
The HFI includes an obesogenic score, which indicates the obesity risk of different foods. However, the scores are based on dietary recommendations for older children and include low-fat dairy products such as milk, yogurt, and cheese. Young children have different energy and nutritional needs, and dairy products are considered part of a healthy diet for young children, necessary for their growth and development.
The researchers tested three obesogenic scores, two of which were developmentally sensitive scores that excluded milk, yogurt, and cheese. Even with the modified categories, they found that obesogenic scores increased significantly from 24 to 48 months.
“It makes sense that as children get older, the presence of more energy-dense, high-fat foods tends to increase. Children may request these foods more frequently, and outside influences, such as the opinions of their peers, are starting to be more frequent. “It’s obvious. I want to point out that we found some positive changes. Vegetables are also more available in the home at 48 months,” Barton said.
“The point is not to label certain foods as good or bad. We probably all have foods in our house that are not ‘recommended.’ It’s really about trying to make sure that we get enough nutritious, recommended foods and that we eat the items that are not recommended in moderation.”
A second research objective was to test the validity of the HFI measure for young children, as the method was developed for adolescents. Barton and his colleagues extensively tested the associations between food availability and nutrient intake and generally found the expected results.
For example, the availability of processed meats, such as cold cuts and sausages, was correlated with higher intakes of saturated fat. Sweetened beverages, sweets, desserts, and salty snacks were correlated with higher intake of those foods. A greater presence of fruits and vegetables in the home was also a consistent indicator of nutrients. These findings indicate that the HFI is a reliable measure of household food availability and has demonstrated associations with food and nutrient intake for children aged 24, 36, and 48 months, the researchers conclude.
It’s important to support parents in making healthy choices for their families, but food choices are much more than an individual behavior, Barton said.
“There are complex factors that affect parents’ decisions. Children may request certain foods, which may be due to the influence of the media and advertising. We must also consider who else lives in the home, such as siblings, and parents. They may experience work demands and “financial stresses that can spill over into their family life. Many people struggle with distance to grocery stores and access to fresh food, as well as food insecurity. “I believe we need a food systems approach to ensure that people have access to nutritious foods and that parents feel supported in making decisions to promote the health and well-being of themselves and their children,” she concluded.
The article, “Longitudinal changes in household food availability and concurrent associations with food and nutrient intake among children aged 24 to 48 months,” is published in Public health nutrition. Authors include Jennifer M. Barton, Arden L. McMath, Stewart P. Montgomery, and Sharon M. Donovan. and Barbara H. Fiese.
This research was supported by grants from the National Dairy Council, the Gerber Foundation, the Christopher Family Foundation, Hatch ILLU 793-330 of the US Department of Agriculture, and the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), National Institutes of Health (grant #R01 DK107561) to Sharon Donovan. The content is the sole responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.