Start Healthy, Stay Healthy™: a Nestlé Nutrition Initiative to Establish Healthy Eating Habits Early

Kathleen Reidy, DrPH, RD

Head, Nutrition Science,, Nestlé Infant Nutrition1

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Start Healthy, Stay Healthy ™ is Gerber’s Commitment to Early Childhood Nutrition

SCIENCEElevate the nutrition conversation through scientific leadership

PRODUCTINNOVATION

Integrate developmental and nutrition science

for advanced product design

EDUCATIONTranslate complex nutrition science for all stakeholders

“What happens to a child during the first years of life is important to their current and future health and well-being… into adulthood. However, national efforts to prevent obesity have not paid enough attention to infants, toddlers, and preschool children. The

committee’s report highlights the urgent need for early prevention.”

Pregnancy Preschool

Focus on Very Early Prevention is Critical, but Limited

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Modifiable Factors Associated with Early Obesity (J Obesity, 2012)

• Lack of breastfeeding• Diet quality and quantity:

– Early introduction (< 4 months) of complementary foods– High intake of sweetened beverages– Low intake of fruit and vegetables

• Habitual ‘food away from home’• Lack of family meals• Lack of responsive caregiver feeding behaviors (e.g., low attention to

hunger and satiety cues; use of overly restrictive or controlling feeding )• Low nocturnal sleep duration• TV / Screen viewing time; decreased active play

Pregnancy Preschool

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Science Driven: FITS Provides Great Insights about Children’s Diets• Dietary survey of over 3,000 infants & toddlers

• Snapshot of nutrient intakes and dietary patterns

• Fills an important information gap

• Published in 25+ peer-reviewed journal articles

2008 Key Findings• Improvements in breastfeeding and delayed

introduction of sweets• Continuing lack of fruits and vegetables• Infant and Toddler dietary gaps• Preschooler diets high in sodium and

saturated fats• Sweets constitute almost 15% of preschooler

calories

2002 Key Findings• Lack of fruits and vegetables • Sweets introduced very early• Snacks contribute 30% of toddlers’ calories • Infant and Toddler dietary gaps

FITS has helped in shaping efforts in childhood nutrition

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Influencing Public Health Policy Sharing with Health Professionals

Changing Our Products and ServicesEducating Through the Media

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FITS Insight: Parents Don’t Recognize Overweight

BMI Category Terminology< 5th percentile Underweight

5th-84th percentile Healthy weight85th-94th percentile Overweight

≥ 95th percentile Obesity

24-59 MonthsNHANES, 1999-2004, 2007-2008

24-47 MonthsFITS 2008

Mei et al, J Pediatr 2008;153:622-8; Ogden et al JAMA 2010;303(3):242-9National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 1999-2004, 2007-2008

BMI Categories for Children 2-19 years

Do you consider your child’s weight to be:

FITS 2008 - Table 164, Recruitment Interview, Question E3

About right89.1%

Underweight8.6%

Overweight2.2%

Healthy weight75.8%

Underweight3.0%

Overweight10.8%

Obese10.4%

Food Consumption Patterns are Set by 18 Months of Age

Perc

ent o

f Cal

orie

s

/ Formula

After 18 months of age, the consistency of intake by food group is remarkably constant.The stage is set for long term dietary patterns – and the current patterns are far from ideal

FITS 2008

Percent of Energy From Major Food Groups

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Most Parents Think Their Child’s Diet has Enough Fruit and Vegetables, BUT…

6-11 12-23 24-35 36-47

83% 84%77% 72%

Age in Months

Source: FITS 2008

Percent of parents who think their child gets enough fruits and veggies

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…Preschoolers are More Likely to have a Sweet than a Fruit or Vegetable

6-9 9-12 12-24 24-36 36-48

63%72% 71% 71% 68%65%

81% 77% 73% 72%

17%

43%

72%82%

89%

Any Vegetable Any Fruit * Any Type of Sweet

Age in Months

Percentage of Children Consuming

*excludes fruit juice

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Gerber Innovation:

Start Healthy, Stay Healthy ™ : Product Innovation

FITS Insight:

Lack of fruits and vegetables

Inadequate intake of essential fats/high sat fat

Whole grain gap

Too many sweets and 25% of calories from snacks

Lil’ Entrees – one serving of vegetables; cheese sauce made with squash

Graduates Grabbers - fruit puree in self-feeding package

Dairy products with healthier fats – Omega 3 from canola oil

Pasta and finger foods made with whole grains

Healthier snack alternatives – such as Yogurt and yogurt melts

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Consumer Education is at the Heart of the SHSH System

Social

24/7 CallCenter with

RDs and lactation

consultants

Direct Mail

Digital

Mobile

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Direct Mail Format was Designed by Millennial Moms• What it is:

– Research driven format and style– Redefined to improve consumer

comprehension– Objective educational content– Stronger link to digital assets to learn more

• Reaches:– Reaches approximately 2.1MM new moms/yr– Maintains engagement with 6.0MM moms/yr– Generates 24,000,000 impressions per year– Flexibility to update creative on a monthly basis

• Provides:– Information on nutritional needs and

developmental milestones at each stage

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Our 12-Video ‘How To’ Library Leverages Sight, Sound and Motion to Educate Moms• Why It Works:

– Digital format highly relevant to today’s mom

– Features Millennial Mom speaking (vs. Medical Professional)

– 62,000 Views to Date– YouTube is the #2 Search Engine

in America

• "How to" Videos on feeding at every stage of development:– How to add variety to your

baby’s diet – How to Feed Your Toddler– Feeding a Picky Eater

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Science Driven Tools: Interactive Menu Planner to Teach Mom about a Healthy Diet at Different Developmental Stages

• Generates nutritionally-appropriate menus– Based on both nutrients and

food groups IOM, AAP and MyPyramid

– Uses USDA nutrient database– Based on developmental

stages– Interactive and customizable

• Meets consumer need– 600,000 gerber.com visits per

month– 60,000 Menu Planner

downloads per month

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Growth Tracker Chart’s Baby’s Growth for You

Body Mass Index (BMI) ChartWeight & Length/Height Data

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USDA Partner – Supporting MyPlate Educational MessagesTheme: Foods to ReduceKey Message: Drink water instead of sugary drinks

We Must Start Prevention Efforts Earlier: Known Modifiable Factors Associated with Early Obesity (J Obesity, 2012)

Research is needed on HOW TO modify these factors• Lack of breastfeeding• Diet quality and quantity:

– Early introduction (< 4 months) of complementary foods– High intake of sweetened beverages– Low intake of fruit and vegetables

• Habitual ‘food away from home’• Lack of family meals• Lack of responsive caregiver feeding behaviors (e.g., low attention to hunger and

satiety cues; use of overly restrictive or controlling feeding )• Low nocturnal sleep duration• TV / Screen viewing time; decreased active play

Pregnancy Preschool

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