• Madalena Monteban, Gabriela Villagra, and Ethel Alderete.
• Instituto de Ciencia y Tecnología Regional (ICTER), Jujuy, Argentina.
• Medicina (B Aires). 2022 Jan 1; 82 (5): 732-739.

IntroductionGlobal consumption of vegetables and fruits is currently below recommendations, impacting the prevalence of obesity and non-communicable diseases. In addition to environmental factors, mothers' feeding practices influence children's eating patterns.MethodsQuestionnaires were conducted with mothers of children 7 months to 7 years of age (n = 727), in 12 Primary Health Care Centers in the capital cities of three Argentine provinces. Fruit and vegetable consumption was evaluated with the Children's Dietary Questionnaire (CDQ). We tested the association with maternal feeding practices distributed across three domains: role modeling, accessibility, and socialization of the products in the home. We tested 11 practices separately and a variable summing the 11 practices.ResultsThe majority of children (86%) had low fruit and vegetable intake. In regression models, each of the 11 practices showed a significant association with children's fruit and vegetable intake (beta 0,6-1,8). However, the variable testing the sum of the 11 practices showed a larger association parameter with intake, even in multiple regression (beta 3,9). Proximity of sale points and cost of products also showed a significant association with intake.ConclusionResults provide information on home based strategies to promote children's fruit and vegetable intake that do not require complex resources and can be incorporated into community health education programs.

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