Evaluation of food consumption among Brazilian children attending daycare centers: a systematic review

Objectives:

to provide evidence of the pattern of food consumption among Brazilian children attending daycare centers.

Methods:

Methods: the PubMed, LILACS and SciELO databases were searched for observational studies published between 1990 and 2013 using the terms “food consumption” AND “child day care centers”.

Results:

fifty-eight articles were found, of which 21 were considered relevant to the present study. These included 18 cross-sectional and three longitudinal studies. The studies tended i) to be concentrated in the Southeast region of the country; ii) to use direct weighing of food and reference values from Dietary Reference Intakes to assess food consumption; iii) to present a preliminary overview, focused on the Southeast, of a pattern of consumption low on fruit and vegetables and with inadequate iron intake; iv) to provide results restricted to mean intake, owing to the lack of use of methods appropriate for establishing patterns of food intake.

Conclusions:

despite the paucity and geographical dispersion of the studies, methodological similarities made it possible to suggest that there is a predominant pattern of inadequate consumption of fruit and vegetables and food rich in iron, along with excessive consumption of protein and high sodium contents.

Food consumption; Child nutrition; Child day care centers