Associations between Introduction of Age-Inappropriate Foods and Early Eating Environments in Low-Socioeconomic Hispanic Infants.

PURPOSE: To examine the associations between feeding practices and eating environments of low-socioeconomic Hispanic infants.

METHODS: Secondary analysis of cross-sectional data from a sample of 62 low-income immigrant Hispanic mothers and their infants (age range = 4-12 months). Measures of infant feeding practices (food groups and beverages consumption) and eating environment domains were included using the Infant Feeding Scale.

RESULTS: TV exposure and allowing the infant to play with toys during meals significantly correlated with intake of energy-dense foods in 4- to 6-month-olds (p = .05). Among 7- to 9-month-olds, mealtime TV watching correlated with consumption of snacks (p = .05) and sweetened beverages (p = .01). Consumption of energy-dense foods was significantly different among groups with higher mean intake in older infants (p = < .01).

CONCLUSION: Findings highlight the need for culturally and socioeconomically sensitive approaches to improve infant feeding practices and support low-income Hispanic families in providing healthy and nurturing eating environments required to prevent later obesity risk.