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Age and time trends in the diet of young children: results of the DONALD study

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Abstract

Purpose

To describe age and time trends of energy and macronutrient intake during infancy and toddlerhood and to set a special focus on dietary practices with respect to milk, complementary food, and family food intake.

Methods

Three-day dietary records (n = 2241) collected at 3, 6, 9, 12, 18, 24, and 36 months (480 subjects) between 2004 and 2013 from the ongoing open cohort DONALD (Dortmund Nutritional and Anthropometric Longitudinally Designed) study were evaluated using repeated-measures regression analyses for trend analysis.

Results

Significant age trends were found for macronutrients with a decrease in fat intake (% of energy intake, %E) and an increase in carbohydrates (%E) and protein (%E). Exclusive and partial breastfeeding rates at 3 and 6 months did not differ between 2004 and 2008 and 2009 and 2013 (p > 0.05). Macronutrient pattern was virtually stable over time, whereas food group intake (% of total food intake excluding beverages, % TFI) changed significantly during the study period. Breast/bottle milk (% TFI) intake increased over time in the toddler subgroup, whereas family food (% TFI) decreased.

Conclusions

Our data demonstrate a period of stagnation in the last 10 years with respect to breastfeeding duration in infancy. Further breastfeeding promotion in Germany is needed to continue the favourable progress of the previous decades. In toddlerhood, breast/bottle milk remains a substantial part of the diet and has increased during the last 10 years. Parents should be encouraged to implement healthy eating habits during early toddlerhood and to facilitate their child’s participation in appropriate family meals.

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Acknowledgments

The DONALD study was supported by the Ministry of Science and Research of North Rhine Westphalia, Germany. The authors thank the DONALD study staff for carrying out the anthropometric measurements and for collecting and coding the dietary records. The authors also thank all the participants of the DONALD study.

Conflict of interest

None of the authors has any conflict of interest.

Ethical standard

The study was approved by the Ethics Committee of the University of Bonn.

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Correspondence to Ute Alexy.

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Foterek, K., Hilbig, A., Kersting, M. et al. Age and time trends in the diet of young children: results of the DONALD study. Eur J Nutr 55, 611–620 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00394-015-0881-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00394-015-0881-6

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