Dietary Patterns of Children during the First Year of Life: A Cohort Study —Dietary Patterns of Children

Objective: To identify the dietary patterns of children during the first year of life. Methods: This is a longitudinal study of children born between September 2004 and April 2005 residing in Diamantina, MG, Brazil. Data were collected from children who were six, nine and twelve months of age. Data were collected at their homes using a questionnaire that included a socioeconomic and demographic profile of the family. Information on diet was obtained using 24 hour food recall. Principal Component Analysis was used to identify the dietary patterns. Results: Three dietary patterns were identified and denominated “Porridge”, “Pap” and “Family Food”. The most common dietary pattern was composed of milk, sugar and fortified flour and was negatively correlated with breastfeeding. The second dietary pattern was composed of tubers, vegetables and fruits. The third dietary pattern consisted of cereal, meat, beans and tea; this pattern was repeated at different ages, with some variation at the sixth month when artificial drinks were included and meat and tea were excluded. Conclusion: There was some variation in the dietary patterns of children; however, porridge was used predominantly in all studied ages. Information on dietary patterns may be useful for evaluating and redirecting food and nutrition policies.