Abstract
Background: Early childhood is a critical period for shaping and influencing feeding behaviours which have implications for future health. Understanding the food consumption patterns and their shifts over time can provide guidance to health care providers and nutrition specialists who provide nutrition counselling and develop nutrition messages.
Objectives: To examine feeding patterns of 1-5 year old children and their changes with age.Methods: Across-sectional questionnaire study designed to obtain information on basic demographic indicators and feeding habits was conducted in Prague and all 13 regions of the Czech Republic. The carers of 1,130 children aged 1 to 5 years were approached in public places.
Obtained data were computerized, descriptive statistics and t-tests for food intake frequency by age, breast-feeding status, sex, maternal education, and domicile were calculated. The difference was considered significant when P value was <0.05