Children feeding practices in Pakistani families immigrant to Italy

Background: Immigration to Italy from Asian countries is sharply increasing, but little we know about the integration of children born in Italy from migrant families. Objective: To evaluate which changes in feeding practices has occurred in respect of their original culture.Methods: A cross-sectional study investigated the eating habits of 53 children (aged 2-14 years) , born in Italy from parents who recently moved from Pakistan. Data were collected through a questionnaire and interviews. Results: Religious beliefs and poor economical conditions interact with the feeding habits of the families. Prolonged, but not exclusive breastfeeding is common. According the Pakistani uses, many beverages are introduced early in addition to maternal milk. Whereas protein intake is usually low in the first two years of life, it tends to becomes excessive during school–age. Besides the traditional diet, children widely use savoury and sweet convenience food.