US Pediatrician Practices on Early Nutrition, Feeding, and Growth.

OBJECTIVE

Assess pediatrician practices around growth and nutrition for children under 2 years.

DESIGN

2017 cross-sectional survey of a national random sample of the American Academy of Pediatrics members.

SETTING

US.

PARTICIPANTS

Practicing primary care pediatricians and residents (n = 698).

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

World Health Organization growth chart use, solid food introduction recommendations, healthy behaviors discussion.

ANALYSIS

Descriptive statistics were calculated for nutrition-related questions. McNemar tests compared recommendations on the introduction of different solid foods at <6 months; chi-square tests of independence examined outcomes by pediatrician and practice characteristics.

RESULTS

Most respondents (82.2%) reported using the World Health Organization growth charts at all well visits. Nearly half (45.3%) recommended solid food introduction at 6 months; 48.2% recommended <6 months. Cereals were more frequently recommended at <6 months than fruits/vegetables or meats (P <.001). Topics most frequently discussed were limiting juice (92.3%), and sugar-sweetened beverages (92.0%), avoiding restrictive and permissive food practices (30.7%), and avoiding food as a reward (29.1%) were least discussed. Pediatricians in hospital/clinic settings discussed healthy behaviors less than group or solo/2-physician practices.

CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS

For children under 2 years, most pediatricians reported using recommended growth charts and discussing healthy behaviors. Fewer discussed responsive feeding topics. Results for guiding solid food introduction were mixed. Continued efforts to support pediatricians' work could improve the implementation of recommended practices.