Eating context and ultraprocessed food consumption among UK adolescents.

We aimed to evaluate the association between eating context patterns and ultraprocessed food consumption at two main meal occasions in a representative sample of UK adolescents. Data were acquired from 4-d food records of adolescents aged 11-18 years, who participated in the 2014-2016 UK National Diet and Nutrition Survey (n 542). The eating context was assessed considering the location of the meal (lunch and dinner) occasion, the individuals present, whether the television was on and if the food was consumed at a table. Ultraprocessed foods were identified using the NOVA classification. Exploratory factor analysis was used to identify eating context patterns for lunch and dinner. Linear regression models adjusted for the covariates were utilised to test the association between eating context patterns and the proportion of total daily energy intake derived from ultraprocessed foods. Their contribution was about 67 % to energy intake. Three patterns were retained for lunch ('At school with friends', 'TV during family meal' and 'Out-of-home (no school)'), and three patterns were retained for dinner ('Watching TV alone in the bedroom', 'TV during family meal' and 'Out-of-home with friends'). At lunch, there was no significant association between any of the three patterns and ultraprocessed food consumption. At dinner, the patterns 'Watching TV alone in the bedroom' (coefficient: 4·95; 95 % CI 1·87, 8·03) and 'Out-of-home with friends' (coefficient: 3·13; 95 % CI 0·21, 6·14) were associated with higher consumption of ultraprocessed food. Our findings suggest a potential relationship between the immediate eating context and ultraprocessed food consumption by UK adolescents.

Ultra-processed food consumption and its effects on anthropometric and glucose profile: A longitudinal study during childhood.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Obesity and insulin resistance development are related to known risk factors (such as diet) that begin in childhood. Among dietary factors, the consumption of ultra-processed foods has received attention. The present study investigated the association between ultra-processed foods consumption at preschool age and changes in anthropometric measurements from preschool to school age and glucose profile at school age. METHODS AND RESULTS: The present study was a follow-up of a randomized controlled trial, conducted with 307 children of low socioeconomic status from São Leopoldo, Brazil. At ages 4 and 8 years, children's anthropometric assessments were collected from preschool to school age including body-mass index (BMI) for-age, waist circumference (WC), waist-to-height ratio (WHtR) and skinfold. At the age 8 years, blood tests were performed to measure glucose profile. Dietary data were collected through 24-h recalls and the children's ultra-processed food intake was assessed. Linear regression analysis was used to assess the relationship between ultra-processed food consumption and the outcomes. The percentage of daily energy provided by ultra-processed foods was 41.8 ± 8.7 (753.8 ± 191.0 kcal) at preschool age and 47.8 ± 8.9 (753.8 ± 191.0 kcal) at school age, on average. The adjusted linear regression analyses showed that ultra-processed food consumption at preschool age was a predictor of an increase in delta WC from preschool to school age (ß = 0.07; 95%CI 0.01-0.14; P = 0.030), but not for glucose metabolism. CONCLUSION: Our data suggest that early ultra-processed food consumption played a role in increasing abdominal obesity in children. These results reinforce the importance of effective strategies to prevent the excessive consumption of ultra-processed foods, especially in early ages.

The impact of a primary health care intervention on infant feeding practices: a cluster randomised controlled trial in Brazil.

BACKGROUND: Proper feeding practices in early life can enhance the full human potential development of children. We aimed to evaluate the impact of a primary health care intervention on infant feeding practices among children from low-income families. METHODS: A cluster randomised controlled trial was conducted in Porto Alegre, Brazil. Healthcare centres were randomised into intervention (n = 9) and control (n = 11) groups. In intervention sites, health workers were trained in accordance with the national guidelines. Infant feeding practices were assessed in children at 6 months (n = 617) and 12 months (n = 516) of age. Feeding practice quality was assessed using the Infant and Child Feeding Index (ICFI). Additionally, we evaluated the introduction of nonrecommended foods. RESULTS: At 6 months, the mean ICFI score was higher in the intervention group [MD = 0.22; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.24-1.11]. The prevalence of infants who met the recommendation for meat into the food-frequency score was higher in the intervention than the control group [relative risk (RR) = 1.63; 95% CI = 1.26-2.11]. At 12 months of age, the ICFI mean (MD = 0.23; 95% CI = 0.35-0.56) and the prevalence of children who met the recommendation for dietary diversity (RR = 1.11; 95% CI = 1.01-1.22) and meal frequency (RR = 4.68; 95% CI = 1.34-16.36) were higher in the intervention group, although only among children who had more than seven follow-up appointments during the first year of life. The children from intervention group had a significant delay for added sugar (MD = 0.51; 95% CI = 0.13-0.89), tea (mean = 0.47; 95% CI = 0.13-0.82), jelly (MD = 0.35; 95% CI = 0.11-0.58) and filled cookies (MD = 0.29; 95% CI = 0.06-0.52) compared to the control group. CONCLUSIONS: The health workers' training was effective with respect to improving infant feeding practices.