Food access, domestic environments, and dietary quality of low-middle income Chilean children during the COVID-19 pandemic

Frontiers in Public Health · 5 authors, 3 centres

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TL;DR

It found three distinct food access profiles, but these profiles were poorly associated with children's poor dietary quality, which was influenced by domestic environment factors.

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Researchers identified three food access profiles—Classic, Multiple, and Supermarket-Restaurant—via latent class analysis. They assessed associations between these profiles and children's dietary quality, measured by ultra-processed food (UPF) consumption and compliance with Dietary Guidelines (DGA). The food access profiles, which showed a socioeconomic gradient, were not strongly associated with dietary quality outcomes, except for a higher likelihood of meeting fish recommendations in the Supermarket-Restaurant profile.

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cohort

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nutrition

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ORIGINAL PAPER

PMC10319070

Food access, domestic environments, and dietary quality of low-middle income Chilean children during the COVID-19 pandemic

Frontiers in Public Health

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ABSTRACT

Introduction Food access is associated with dietary quality; however, people living in similar physical environments can have different food access profiles. Domestic environments may also influence how food access relates to dietary quality. We studied food access profiles of 999 low-middle income Chilean families with children during the COVID-19 lockdown and how these profiles relate to dietary quality; secondarily, we also explore the role of the domestic environment in this relationship. Materials and methods Participants of two longitudinal studies conducted in the southeast of Santiago, Chile, answered online surveys at the beginning and end of the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown. Food access profiles were developed by a latent class analysis considering food outlets and government food transfers. Children's dietary quality was estimated by self-reported compliance with the Chilean Dietary Guidelines of Americans (DGA) and daily ultra-processed food (UPF) consumption. Logistic and linear regressions were used to assess the association between food access profiles and dietary quality. Domestic environment data (i.e., the sex of the person who buys food and cooks, meal frequency, cooking skills, etc.) were incorporated in the models to assess their influence on the relationship between food access and dietary quality. Results We have categorized three food access profiles: Classic (70.2%), Multiple (17.9%), and Supermarket-Restaurant (11.9%). Households led by women are concentrated in the Multiple profile, while families from higher income or education levels are focused on the Supermarket-Restaurant profile. On average, children presented poor dietary quality, with a high daily UPF consumption (median = 4.4; IQR: 3) and low compliance with national DGA recommendations (median = 1.2; IQR: 2). Except for the fish recommendation (OR = 1.77, 95% CI:1.00–3.12; p : 0.048 for the Supermarket-Restaurant profile), the food access profiles were poorly associated with children's dietary quality. However, further analyses showed that domestic environment variables related to routine and time use influenced the association between food access profiles and dietary quality. Conclusion In a sample of low-middle income Chilean families, we identified three different food access profiles that presented a socioeconomic gradient; however, these profiles did not significantly explain children's dietary quality. Studies diving deeper into household dynamics might give us some clues on intra-household behaviors and roles that could be influencing how food access relates to dietary quality.

CITATION EXPORT

Isabel Pemjean, Fernanda Mediano, Pedro Ferrer et al.. Food access, domestic environments, and dietary quality of low-middle income Chilean children during the COVID-19 pandemic. Frontiers in Public Health. (2023). https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2023.1164357

AUTHORS

5 · 3 CENTRES

Isabel Pemjean, Fernanda Mediano, Pedro Ferrer, María Luisa Garmendia, Camila Corvalán

1Doctoral Program in Public Health, School of Public Health, University of Chile, Santiago, Chile
2Carolina Population Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, United States
3Center for Research in Food Environments and Prevention of Nutrition-Related Diseases (CIAPEC), Institute of Nutrition and Food Technology, University of Chile, Santiago, Chile