Dietary intake quality and associated factors in one year-old children seen by primary healthcare services

Abstract The purpose of this paper was to analyze the food intake quality in one year-old children seen by a primary healthcare (PHC) service. This is a cross-sectional studied nested within a child oral health cohort study which collected data regarding children born in 2013 and monitored in Porto Alegre for two years. We applied a questionnaire on maternal variables and frequency of pediatric appointments, weight and height measurements, and children’s food intake. To that end, a score was generated based on the points assigned according to SISVAN (meaning ‘food and nutrition monitoring system,’ run by the Brazilian Ministry of Health). A multivariate model was calculated using Poisson regression with robust variance. The sample comprised 249 children. We found 30.5% (76) of poor/regular dietary quality, which in the multivariate model was associated to the guardian’s educational background, considering up to incomplete high school (PR = 2.14, CI95% = 1.03-4.44) and complete high school (PR = 1.70, CI95% = 0.81-3.54), as well as their failure to see a dentist (PR = 2.54, CI95% = 1.33-4.84) or having seen one before the age of four months (PR = 1.94, CI95% = 1.01-3.72). It is our conclusion that failing to see a dentist within the first year of life and lower maternal schooling negatively impact on children’s dietary quality.