Feeding Infants and Toddler Study (FITS)

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The FITS (Feeding Infants and Toddlers Study) and KNHS (Kids Nutrition and Health Study) are Nestlé Research initiatives to explore eating patterns, nutrient intakes and food sources of nutrients among infants and children in different countries around the world. FITS and KNHS use data from national surveys when available, but when data are not available for age groups of interest, we collect our own large-scale cross-sectional surveys.

Infographics

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FITS and KNHS use 24-h recalls to assess individual-level dietary intakes for children birth to 12 years old
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FITS was first initiated in 2002 and has since grown to include 9 countries, and over 20,000 infants and toddlers
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Nestlé Research-sponsored studies have been conducted in Brazil, China, Nigeria, United Arab Emirates and the United States
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Research collaborations allowed access to national surveys from Australia, China, Mexico, the Philippines and Russia
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Trends in dietary intake patterns have been evaluated in Australia, China and the US
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Since the initial FITS in 2002, about 90 articles and nearly 100 collaborators have been published from the FITS and KNHS

Read articles about FITS/KIDS

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Beverage consumption patterns among infants and young children
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Perceptions of food intake and weight status among parents of picky eating infants and toddlers in China: A cross-sectional study.
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Nutrient intakes of infants and toddlers from maternal and child care centres in urban areas of China, based on one 24-hour dietary recall.
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Food Consumption patterns of infants and toddlers: FITS Study 2016
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Total usual nutrient intakes of US children (under 48 mo): findings from the Feeding Infants and Toddlers Study (FITS) 2016.
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Differences in complementary feeding of 6 to 23 month olds in China, US and Mexico.
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Usual nutrient intakes from the diets of US children by WIC participation and income
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Room for improvement remains in food consumption patterns of young children aged 2–4 years.
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Food sources of energy and nutrients in the diets of infants and toddlers in urban areas of China, based on one 24-hour dietary recall.
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Food sources of energy and nutrients in infants, toddlers and young children from the Mexican National Health and Nutrition Survey 2012.
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Many infants and young children are not compliant with Mexican and international complementary feeding recommendations for milk and other beverages
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Food groups consumed by infants and young children from urban areas of China.

Key Findings & Cross-Country Comparisons from FITS  

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The FITS studies explore eating patterns, nutrient intakes and food sources of nutrients among infants and children in different countries around the world. Key highlights of FITS include low breastfeeding rates in many countries, early introduction of cow’s milk, inadequate iron intakes among infants, but excessive intakes of sodium in toddlers.
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In the China Feeding Infant and Toddlers Study (FITS), it was identified that few Chinese children consume sugar-sweetened beverages, but more than 60% of children under 2-years of age exceeded the upper intake level for sodium.
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The Feeding Infant and Toddlers Study (FITS) in Mexico identified low consumption of iron-containing foods and high consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages. 2,057 children from birth to 47 months of age were evaluated using data from the Mexican National Health and Nutrition Survey (ENSANUT).
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A significant number of young children do not consume vegetables on a given day in Russia. For the ones that do eat vegetables, more than half comes from potatoes, according to Feeding Infant and Toddlers Study (FITS) performed in this country
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The Feeding Infant and Toddlers Study (FITS) in US has shown that about half of US children between 4 and 6 months consume juice, much more than infants and toddlers in other countries. Inadequate intakes of iron is a significant problem affecting almost 20% of infants 6-11 months. The US FITS 2016 was a national survey that included 3,235 infants and young children.