More Protein, Less Vitamin D and Omega-3: An Observational Study of Infant and Toddler Nutrition and Maternal Feeding Attitudes From Turkiye

Abstract

This study aimed to evaluate the dietary intakes of infants/toddlers aged 9-24 months and the relationships with their mothers' feeding attitudes. This cross-sectional study was carried out on 141 mothers with 9-24-month infants/toddlers. Data were collected through face-to-face interviews. The five-factor Mother's Attitudes towards the Feeding Process Scale (MATFPS) was used to evaluate maternal attitudes. Dietary energy and nutrient intakes were assessed using 24-h dietary recalls. Weight, length, and neck circumference were evaluated. The mean age of the mothers and infants/toddlers was 31.9 +/- 4.59 years and 15.6 +/- 5.33 months. The majority of the infants' and toddlers' body weights and lengths were in the normal range with rates of 89.4% and 85.1%, respectively. The distribution of the energy from macronutrients was 41.4 +/- 7.51, 44.7 +/- 7.02, and 13.7 +/- 3.39 for carbohydrates, fats, and proteins, respectively. 98.6%, 90.8%, 46.1%, and 39.7% of infants/toddlers had low dietary intake of EPA + DHA, vitamin D, iron, and fiber, respectively. Energy adequacy of the infants and toddlers was negatively associated with "negative affect during meal" (r = -0.175, p < 0.05), whereas protein intake adequacy was positively associated with "negative affect during meal" (r = 0.250), "attitudes about insufficient/unbalanced feeding" (r = 0.201), "reaction to the viewpoints of others" (r = 0.178), and the total MATFPS scores (r = 0.251, p < 0.05). Dietary intakes of infants/toddlers and the attitudes of their mothers are associated. Even though the energy adequacy was high, iron, vitamin D, fiber, EPA, and DHA were below the recommendations in this study. Mothers' attitudes should also be taken into consideration when evaluating the dietary intakes of infants/toddlers. Our findings highlight the importance of supporting parents in similar cultural and nutritional settings through public health strategies that promote adequate dietary intake and appropriate supplement use, for example, iron, vitamin D, and omega-3 fatty acids.