Feeding practices and dietary intake in Brazilian children with Down syndrome: A cross-sectional study

Background: Studies investigating the quality of the diet and dietary intake of children with Down syndrome (DS) are required because the features attributed to the syndrome can affect growth, development and quality of life. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted with 77 Brazilian children with DS between 5 and 36 months of age receiving care at the multidisciplinary outpatient clinic of the University Hospital. Participants' sociodemographic, dietary and anthropometric data were collected from the care protocols. Dietary data were collected from 24-h recalls and dietary practices were assessed according to the WHO dietary guidelines. Associations between inadequate feeding practices and demographic variables were assessed using logistic regression models. Results: Fruits, milk or infant formula, vegetables, beans and meat were among the five most consumed foods by the children investigated. Overall, we observed a high number of cases of early weaning (50.6%), low minimum dietary diversity (MDD; 40.3%), inadequate consistency for age (64.9%), early presence of ultra-processed foods (76.6%), sugars and sweets (33.8%) in the diet of the children with DS. In the associations of inadequate feeding practices by age group, low MDD [odds ratio (OR): 18.6; 95% confidence interval (CI): 3.4; 57.1] and inadequate consistency (OR: 6.65; 95% CI: 1.8; 24.7) were more frequent among children aged below 12 months while this relationship was inverse for early introduction of sugar and sweets (OR: 0.04; 95% CI: 0.01; 0.29). Conclusion: Our findings showed a high number of cases of inadequate dietary practices in children with DS investigated, which could adversely affect the long-term health of this population.