Práticas Alimentares Cariogênicas e Fatores Associados em Crianças do Sul do Brasil Cariogenic Feeding Habits and Associated Factors in Children from the Southern Brazil

Objecti ve: To identi fy cariogenic feeding habits and esti mate the factors associated with the consumpti on of snacks between meals in preschoolers from the city of Ijui, RS, Brazil. Method: The sample was composed of 481 children aged 0 to 6 years att ending 12 preschools of this city, chosen at random. The research instrument was a structured questi onnaire fi lled out by the parents, which assessed demographic and socioeconomic data and informati on on feeding habits (age of introducti on of sugar in the diet and consumpti on of sweet and salty snacks between meals). Poisson's regression with robust variance was used to identi fy and quanti fy the factors associated with the consumpti on of snacks between meals. Results: Approximately 90% of the children had sugar introduced in their diet before 1 year of age. In additi on, 3/4 of the preschoolers consume sweets between meals, without stati sti cally signifi cant diff erence between genders, income levels and family structure. The multi variable model showed that the probability of consuming snacks between meals was 16% higher in 5-6-year-old children compared to those up to the age of 2 (PR=1.16; 95% CI= 1.00-1.34), and 14% higher when the mother's educati onal level was up to 4 years (PR=1.14; 95% CI= 1.01-1.29) compared to those with more than 8 years of school educati on. Blackmailing to receive snacks increased in 72% the probability of this behavior (PR= 1.72; 95% CI= 1.46-2.03). Conclusion: The introducti on of sugar was premature in the studied populati on, and a high percentage of the preschoolers were found to eat snacks between meals. This outcome is associated with older children, low maternal educati onal level, and child's behavior. Preventi ve programs must include diet counseling since the fi rst year of life, especially for mothers with low educati onal level. Objeti vo: Identi fi car prati cas alimentares cariogenicas e esti mar os fatores associados ao consumo de guloseimas entre as refeicoes em pre-escolares de Ijui-RS. Metodo: A amostra consisti u em 481 criancas de 0 a 6 anos pertencentes a 12 pre-escolas deste municipio, sorteadas aleatoriamente. O instrumento de pesquisa foi questi onario estruturado respondido pelos pais, que avaliou variaveis demografi cas, socioeconomicas e as seguintes prati cas alimentares: idade de introducao do acucar e o comportamento de consumir guloseimas (doces ou salgadinhos) entre as refeicoes. Foi uti lizada regressao de Poisson com variância robusta para identi fi car e quanti fi car os fatores associados ao consumo de guloseimas entre as refeicoes. Resultados: Aproximadamente 90% das criancas da amostra ti veram o acucar introduzido na dieta antes de completar o primeiro ano de vida. Alem disso, 3/4 dos pre-escolares consomem guloseimas entre as refeicoes, nao havendo diferenca entre os sexos, categorias de renda e estruturacao familiar. O modelo multi variavel mostrou que a probabilidade de consumir guloseimas entre as refeicoes foi 16% maior em criancas de 5 a 6 anos em relacao as criancas de ate 2 anos (RP=1,16; IC 95%= 1,00-1,34) e 14% maior quando a mae ti nha 4 anos ou menos de escolaridade (RP=1,14; IC 95%= 1,01-1,29) em relacao as maes com mais de 8 anos de estudo. Fazer chantagem para receber guloseimas aumentou em 72% a probabilidade deste comportamento (RP= 1,72; IC 95%= 1,46-2,03). Conclusao: A introducao de acucar e precoce nesta populacao e um percentual elevado dos pre-escolares consome guloseimas entre as refeicoes, estando este desfecho associado a maior idade da crianca, menor escolaridade materna e comportamento da crianca. Programas preventi vos devem incluir orientacao para prati cas alimentares desde o primeiro ano de vida, especialmente para maes com menor escolaridade.