Preferences of healthy and unhealthy foods among 3 to 4 year old children in Mexico.

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the preference of healthy and unhealthy foods among pre-school children attending daycare and its association with that of their parents, body mass index and socio-demographic variables.

METHODS

We asked children and parents to depict their food preferences through 54 pictures of different food items. The association between the preferences and socio-demographic variables was done using the Phi correlation, chi-squared, Fisher's correlation, as well as univariate and multivariable logistic regression.

RESULTS

Two-hundred and sixty-five parent-child pairs participated in the study. Ice cream, potato chips and lollypops were the foods most preferred by children. On the other hand, quince jelly, coffee and avocado were the least preferred. Overweight and obese children had a higher preference for quince jelly, preserved fruits, and vegetable soup. With univariate logistic regression, children of low-income homes (OR= 2.56, p=0.007) and attending public daycare centers (OR= 6.2, p=0.0001) preferred less healthy fruits. When the father's education was added in a multivariable model including family income, only children whose fathers had <=9 years of education showed a higher preference for less healthy food. When parent's education, family income, and parent's preference for healthy foods were included to the model only children attending public daycares were more likely to prefer healthy foods.

CONCLUSIONS

The foods most preferred by children have a high caloric density. The children's body mass index, their parent's monthly income, the father's education and the type of daycare they attended were associated with the preference of healthy or unhealthy foods.