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The following is a summary of “Trends in Toddler Diet Quality in the United States: 1999 to 2018,” published in the November 2024 issue of Pediatrics by Zimmer et al.
The U.S. adults and children aged 2 years and older have experienced improvements in diet quality, but the diet quality trends for toddlers (12-23 months) have not been explored.
Researchers conducted a retrospective study to assess toddler diet quality trends from 1999 to 2018.
They analyzed National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) data from 2,541 toddlers (12-23 months) across 10 NHANES cycles (1999-2018). Diet quality was assessed using the Healthy Eating Index-Toddlers-2020 (HEI-Toddlers-2020). Multivariable linear regression was used to evaluate the link between time and diet quality.
The results showed toddler diet quality significantly improved from 63.7 points (1999-2000) to 67.7 points (2017-2018) (P<.001). Positive linear trends were observed for whole fruits (P<.001), whole grains (P=.016), fatty acids (P=.002), refined grains (P=.009), and added sugars (P<.001). No significant changes were observed in other dietary components, including total fruit, total vegetables, greens and beans, dairy, total protein foods, seafood and plant proteins, sodium, or saturated fats.
They concluded that toddler diet quality improved from 1999 to 2018 but fell short of dietary guidelines.
