Are there intergenerational differences in the diets of young children born to first- and second-generation Pakistani Muslims in Bradford, West Yorkshire, UK?

Introduction: In previous reports, the diets of second- compared with first -generation adults have shown greater signs of acculturation. This study ai med to assess whether this was also true amongst 5-year-old UK-born childre n of first(IG) (n=117) and second-generation (2G) (n=109) Pakistani mothers in Bradford. Materials and methods: A random sample of mothers was selected (n=320), wit h generation groups matched for month of birth, sex of child and district o f residence. Home-based interviews were undertaken by multilingual female i nterviewers. Mother's social characteristics and infant feeding practices w ere examined and a 24-h dietary recall for the child was collected. Child's position in the family was not considered in this analysis. Results: Interviews were completed for 226 mothers(117, 1G and 109, 2G). Th e groups Varied according to educational background, linguistic ability and employment status, but analysis of dietary recall indicated more similarit ies between the groups than differences. For example, traditional foods wer e limited to midday or evening meals, snacks usually consisted of crisps an d biscuits, and sweetened milk or tea was consumed at breakfast. Some diffe rences did exist: water was more likely to be consumed by children of 1G mo thers at the midday and evening meals; fish and chips were a more frequent food item among those of 2G mothers. Conclusion: Evidence of dietary transition between groups was minimal using this methodology. This may be due to the cohesive nature of the Pakistani community resulting in it evolving in unison, or because all young children may be subject to similar dietary and cultural expectations and pressures.