Migration-Related Characteristics and Children’s Consumption of Ultra-Processed Foods

TL;DR

The study explores how migration-related factors affect children's consumption of ultra-processed foods in Portugal, revealing higher intake among children from immigrant families.

Contribution

This study is the first to examine the link between migration characteristics and ultra-processed food consumption in Portuguese children.

Findings

Children with two foreign parents or those who did not always live in Portugal had higher odds of consuming ultra-processed foods.

The association remained partially significant even after adjusting for socioeconomic factors like parental education.

Abstract

Ultra-processed foods (UPFs) have become a dominant component of contemporary food environments worldwide. Their consumption is socially patterned, with higher intakes frequently observed among children from socioeconomically disadvantage families, highlighting a critical dimension of dietary inequality. International migration is another major social determinant of familial diet; however, few studies have examined how migration-related characteristics is associated with children’s UPF consumption in Portugal. This study assessed the association between migration-related characteristics, namely parental nationality and whether the child had always lived in Portugal, and UPF consumption among young children. Cross-sectional analysis of data from the prospective ScreenHealth cohort (5.6 ± 1.0-year-old children; n = 682; 52.1% male) included information on migration status, dietary intake, and covariates (age, parental education). Children with two foreign parents or who had not always lived in Portugal showed higher odds of consuming several UPF items. These associations were only partially attenuated after adjustment for socioeconomic indicators like parental education. Findings are descriptive and should be interpreted with caution, particularly given the small sample sizes of some immigrant subgroups and the cross-sectional design, but they provide novel insights into early-life dietary patterns and highlight population groups that may be differentially exposed to UPF-rich food environments during early childhood.

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