Hero Group, Research and Nutrition Department, 30820 Murcia, Spain.
Hero Group, Institute for Research and Nutrition, 5600 Lenzburg, Switzerland.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021 Feb 18;18(4):1982. doi: 10.3390/ijerph18041982.
The introduction of complementary foods is a crucial stage in the development and determination of infants' health status in both the short and longer-term. This study describes complementary feeding practices among infants and toddlers in Spain. Also, relationships among sample characteristics (both parents and their child), feeding practices (timing, type of complementary food), and parental pressure to eat were explored. Cognitive interviewing with 18 parents was used to refine the survey questions. Responses from a national random sample of 630 parents, who were responsible for feeding their infants and toddlers aged 3-18 months, were obtained. Solids, often cereals and/or fruits first, were introduced at a median age of five months. Fish and eggs were introduced around the age of nine and ten months. Almost all children were fed with home-prepared foods at least once per week (93%), and in 36% of the cases, salt was added. Interestingly, higher levels of parental pressure to eat were found in female infants, younger parents, parents with a full-time job, the southern regions of Spain, and in infants who were not fed with home-prepared foods. Our insights underline the importance of clear feeding recommendations that can support health care professionals in promoting effective strategies to improve parental feeding practices.
辅食的引入是婴幼儿短期和长期健康状况发展和决定的关键阶段。本研究描述了西班牙婴幼儿的辅食喂养情况。还探讨了样本特征（父母双方及其子女）、喂养方式（时间、辅食类型）以及父母的喂养压力之间的关系。通过认知访谈，对调查问卷进行了完善。对负责喂养 3-18 个月大婴儿和幼儿的 630 名父母进行了全国随机抽样调查。固体食物，通常是谷物和/或水果，中位数在五个月大时引入。鱼类和蛋类在九个月到十个月大时引入。几乎所有的孩子每周至少吃一次自制食物（93%），其中 36%的孩子添加了盐。有趣的是，在女婴、年轻父母、全职工作的父母、西班牙南部地区以及没有吃自制食物的婴儿中，发现了更高水平的喂养压力。我们的研究结果强调了明确的喂养建议的重要性，这些建议可以支持医疗保健专业人员采取有效的策略来改善父母的喂养行为。
