Fruit and Vegetable Consumption Among Infants and Toddlers By Eating Occasion in the United States, NHANES 2011–2018

OBJECTIVES: To describe nationally representative prevalence estimates of any fruit or vegetable consumption among US infants and toddlers during specific eating occasions. METHODS: Day one dietary recall data from NHANES 2011–2018 were used to determine the prevalence of any fruit or vegetable consumption in infants and toddlers aged 6–23 months (N = 1,544). Intake was assessed for five eating occasions: breakfast, lunch, dinner, AM snack, and PM snack. To assess differences in intake by age, sex, race/ethnicity, head of household education level, and WIC eligibility, t-tests were used in SAS 9.4, accounting for complex survey design. RESULTS: On a given day, 81.3% of infants and toddlers consumed any fruits or vegetables. Fewer 6–11-month-old (62.3%) infants ate any fruits or vegetables on a given day compared with 12–17-month (90.1%) and 18–23-month-old (93.6%) toddlers. Snack times had the lowest prevalence of any fruit or vegetable consumption (AM snack: 18.8%; PM snack: 40.5%). For all age groups, any consumption of fruits or vegetables increased throughout the day by main mealtime (breakfast: 46.4%; lunch: 59.6%; dinner: 66.6%). For main mealtimes, prevalence of any fruit or vegetable intake was lower in infants aged 6–11 months compared with toddlers aged 12–17 and 18–23 months (breakfast: 6–11 months, 33.0%, 12–17 months, 55.5%, 18–23 months, 52.0%; lunch: 6–11 months, 42.7%, 12–17 months, 68.5%, 18–23 months, 69.5%; dinner: 6–11 months, 47.5%, 12–18 months, 74.3%, 18–23 months, 80.2%). At breakfast, lunch, and dinner, the percentage of infants and toddlers who consumed any fruits or vegetables was higher among families in which the head of household had a college degree or above compared with less than a high school degree. Prevalence of fruit or vegetable intake was significantly lower for those who were eligible for WIC (breakfast: 42.5%; lunch: 54.8%; dinner: 63.1%) compared with those who were ineligible for WIC (breakfast: 51.6%; lunch: 65.3%; dinner: 71.0%). CONCLUSIONS: Four out of 5 infants and toddlers consumed any fruits or vegetables on a given day. This analysis identified breakfast and AM snack as eating occasions with the lowest prevalence of any fruit or vegetable consumption. These eating occasions could be a target for introduction or increasing fruit or vegetable consumption among infants and toddlers. FUNDING SOURCES: None.