Socioeconomic Characteristics and the Home Food Environment Are Associated With Feeding Healthful and Discretionary Foods During the First Year of Life in the Pregnancy Eating Attributes Study.

Abstract

Background: Feeding of nutrient-poor foods begins in infancy and may adversely influence long-term food preferences.

Objective: To examine associations of socioeconomic characteristics, childbearing parent eating behaviors, and home food environment with infant feeding characteristics.

Design: Secondary analysis of a prospective cohort study from first trimester of pregnancy through 12 months postpartum.

Participants/setting: Participants with uncomplicated singleton pregnancies and no major chronic illness were enrolled from November 2014 through October 2016 from 2 university-based obstetrics clinics in Chapel Hill, NC. Of 458 enrolled, 321 were retained through 12 months postpartum.

Main outcome measures: Participants completed infant food frequency questionnaires indicating age at introduction and frequency of consuming multiple food groups. Exposures included childbearing parent socioeconomic characteristics, hedonic hunger, addictive-like eating, Healthy Eating Index 2015 calculated from three 24-hour diet recalls, and home food environment fruit/vegetable and obesogenic scores.

Statistical analyses performed: Multiple imputation using Heckman selection model; linear and logistic regressions examining associations with infant feeding characteristics.

Results: Lower education and income were associated with later infant age at introduction to, and lower frequency of consuming fruits and vegetables at age 12 months. Socioeconomic characteristics were not associated with age at introduction to discretionary solid foods; however, lower education and income were associated with greater infant frequency of intake of discretionary foods and greater odds of introducing fruit juice and sweetened beverages by age 12 months. Childbearing parent Healthy Eating Index 2015, hedonic hunger, and addictive-like eating were not consistently associated with infant feeding characteristics. A more obesogenic food environment was associated with greater frequency of intake of discretionary foods, lower frequency of intake of fruit, and greater odds of fruit juice introduction by age 12 months.

Conclusions: Infant feeding characteristics may be important intervention targets for addressing socioeconomic disparities in child diet quality. Efforts to reduce routine feeding of discretionary foods across socioeconomic groups are needed; modifying the home food environment may promote healthful infant feeding.