Ontology highlight
ABSTRACT: Objective
To assess the association between child ultra-processed food (UPF) consumption and home-school learning environment characteristics during school closures due to the COVID-19 pandemic in schoolchildren with low- and middle income in Chile.Design
Cross-sectional. UPF consumption was collected using the Nova screener. We apply the structured days hypothesis (SDH) to assess home-school learning environment characteristics with three constructs that summarised school preparedness for online teaching and learning, school closure difficulties for caregivers and child routine. We explored associations between child UPF consumption and home-school environment characteristics using multivariate linear regression analyses after controlling for child demographic and school characteristics.Setting
Low- and middle-income neighbourhoods in southeastern Santiago, Chile.Participants
Children from the Food Environment Chilean Cohort (n 428, 8-10 years old).Results
Based on the Nova score, child mean consumption of UPF was 4·3 (sd 1·9) groups. We found a statistically significant negative association between child routine for eating, play and study and child UPF consumption when we adjusted for child sociodemographic (model 1: β = -0·19, (95 % CI -0·40, 0·02)) and school characteristics (model 2: β = -0·20, (95 % CI -0·41, 0·00)). Associations between school preparedness for online teaching or school closure difficulties and UPF were not statistically significant.Conclusions
Variations in child routines during the COVID-19 pandemic were negatively associated with UPF intake in schoolchildren with low- and middle income. Our findings are consistent with the SDH, suggesting the school environment helps regulate eating behaviours. Future research should evaluate what happens when children return to in-person classes at school.
SUBMITTER: Fretes G
PROVIDER: S-EPMC10564603 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Oct
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
Fretes Gabriela G Corvalán Camila C Economos Christina D CD Wilson Norbert Lw NL Cash Sean B SB
Public health nutrition 20230802 10
<h4>Objective</h4>To assess the association between child ultra-processed food (UPF) consumption and home-school learning environment characteristics during school closures due to the COVID-19 pandemic in schoolchildren with low- and middle income in Chile.<h4>Design</h4>Cross-sectional. UPF consumption was collected using the Nova screener. We apply the structured days hypothesis (SDH) to assess home-school learning environment characteristics with three constructs that summarised school prepar ...[more]