(OR17-01-23) Effectiveness of an Intervention To Prevent Added Sugar and Ultra-Processed Foods Consumption in the First Year of Life: A Multicenter Randomized Field Trial in Brazil

Objectives: To determine the effectiveness of an intervention to prevent the consumption of added sugars (AS) and ultra-processed foods (UPF) in the first year of life.

Methods: A multicenter randomized field trial with 6-and 12-month follow-ups was conducted with 516 mother-child pairs in the North (n=180), Northeast (n=168), and South (n=168) of Brazil. Mothers were randomly assigned to the control (CG) or intervention group (IG) after delivery. The IG received an orientation session while in the maternity ward, based on the UNICEF dietary guideline “The 10 steps to healthy eating and habits: From birth to 2 years old”, about the benefits of avoiding AS and UPF in the first two years of life. Monthly phone calls from the 1st to the 5th month of age were made to reinforce the intervention. Dietary intake was measured through food introduction questionnaires and 24-hour recalls during home visits at 6 and 12 months of age. UPF were identified according to the NOVA system classification and AS were estimated from nutrition labels or the Nutrition Composition Tables of Foods Consumed in Brazil. Between-group differences were analyzed by generalized estimating equations and presented as prevalence ratio and mean difference (95%CI).

Results: Compared to children in the CG, children in the IG were less likely to receive cake (PR=0.59; 95% CI=0.40-0.88; p=0.010), sugary milk beverage (PR=0.82; 95% CI=0.74-0.90; p< 0.001), sweetened juice (PR=0.68; 95% CI=0.502-0.93; p=0.016) and chocolate (PR=0.53; 95% CI=0.29-0.97; p=0.041) at 6 months of age, and baby cereal (PR=0.80; 95% CI=0.64-1.00; p=0.049), stuffed cookies (PR=0.89; 95%CI=0.81-0.98; p=0.024), and candy (PR=0.85; 95%CI=0.77-0.93; p=0.001) at 12 months of age. For dietary consumption in grams per day, compared to children in the CG, children in the IG had a lower intake of UPF at 6 months of age (-20.69g/day; 95%CI=-37.87 to -3.50; p=0.018) and UPF (-32.51g/day; 95%CI=-61.03 to -3.99; p=0.025) and AS (-4.92g/day; 95%CI=-9.43 to -0.41; p=0.033) at 12 months of age.

Conclusions: The educational intervention provided to mothers was effective in preventing the early introduction of UPF and AS and reduced the daily consumption of both during the first year of life. Future research should focus on social and cultural barriers to improve adherence to infant feeding interventions.

Funding Sources: CNPq