Frequency and distribution of dietary energy, vegetable, fruit and discretionary food intakes in 18-month-old Australian children

Dietary behaviours in early childhood are understudied despite links with later health. Assessing the distribution of key food groups across the day could identify opportunities for improvements. This study aimed to describe the 24-hourly distribution of dietary intakes and frequency of eating occasions for weekdays and weekend days among children aged 18 months and assess associations of eating frequency with vegetable, fruit and discretionary intakes and zBMI. Using two parent-reported 24-h recalls of child dietary intakes from the Melbourne Infant Feeding Activity and Nutrition Trial (InFANT) Program, mean frequency of daily eating occasions and hourly intake distributions were calculated for vegetables, fruits, discretionary foods, and total foods and energy-containing beverages on weekdays (n 428) and weekend days (n 376). Multivariable regression analyses assessed associations between frequency of eating occasions, total intake of food groups and zBMI. Overall, children had 7·8 ± 1·8 (mean ± sd) eating occasions/d on weekdays, where 1·5 ± 0·8 contained vegetables, 2·2 ± 1·1 contained fruit and 2·5 ± 1·5 contained discretionary foods. Weekend day intakes were similar. Energy intakes were highest at dinner time. Intakes of total foods, fruits and discretionary foods were spread across the day (06.00–22.00). Vegetable consumption was mainly about 18.00 with minimal intake at other times. Eating frequency was associated with amount of food consumed but not consistently with zBMI. These 18-month-old children ate frequently throughout the day, with little distinction between weekdays and weekend days. Most eating occasions lacked vegetables, and frequency of discretionary foods was higher than of vegetables. Promoting vegetable consumption at occasions other than dinner could improve vegetable intake.