Dietary patterns of children aged 6–24 months assisted by the Bolsa Família Program
Abstract Objective: This study aimed to verify the association between socioeconomic and demographic characteristics and dietary patterns (DP) of children assisted by the Conditional Cash Transfer Program, Bolsa Família (BFP). Design: This is a cross-sectional study. DP were defined using a principal component analysis. The association of the predictive variables and DP was modelled using multilevel linear regression analysis. Setting: This study was conducted in six municipalities from the State of Alagoas, Brazil. Participants: The participants were children aged 6–24 months who were assisted by the BFP. Results: A total of 1,604 children were evaluated. Four DPs were identified (DP1, DP2, DP3, and DP4). DP1 is composed of traditional Brazilian food. DP2 is formed mostly from ultra-processed foods (UPF). DP3 consists of milk (non-breast) with added sugar, while DP4 consists of fresh and minimally processed foods. Caregivers with higher age and education (β = −0.008; 95%CI: [−0.017; −0.000]; β = −0.037; 95%CI: [−0.056; −0.018], respectively) were negatively associated with DP2. We observed a negative association between households with food insecurity (β = −0.204; 95%CI: [−0.331; −0.078]) and DP4 and a positive association between caregivers with higher age and education (β = 0.011; 95%CI: [0.003; 0.019]; β = 0.043; 95%CI: [0.025; 0.061], respectively) and DP4. Conclusion: This study identified the association between socioeconomic inequities and DP early in life, with an early introduction of UPF, in children assisted by BFP in the State of Alagoas.