Volume 2 – From Birth to 29 Months

Number 5 – Trends in Dietary Behaviours and Practices

The data presented in this issue have to do with various aspects of the diets of Québec children under three years old. This information makes it possible, for the first time, to examine feeding practices among preschool - aged children throughout the province. This issue looks at information on the total duration of breast-feeding and on the introduction of cow's milk, infant formula, and solid foods among infants. Other aspects of the feeding of toddlers also receive attention, such as the weekly frequency of meals taken outside the home, certain child eating behaviours and the consumption of certain groups of foods and liquids, as related to family socio-economic status and the settings where children receive childcare. Finally, the data analyses deal with the food insecurity experienced in the most disadvantaged families, as well as aspects of child health and physical development that may be affected by diet, such as perceived health status, height and weight, and the frequency of infections and antibiotic use. In addition to presenting aspects of children's diets at different ages, data that were collected in more than one round of the survey are examined longitudinally.