Table 1.

Theoretical model of hierarchical analysis and variables considered in the associations with food intake in children†; Duque de Caxias, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 2005

Step	Study variables
Step 1: Sociodemographic characteristics	Parental education (years)
	Parental age (years)
	Age of children (months)
Step 2: Parental food intake	Food groups (g): (i) breads, cereals and tubers (rice, flour, bread, potatoes, yam, polenta, pasta, salt biscuits, sweet biscuits without filling, children's flour); (ii) beans; (iii) greens and vegetables; (iv) fruits; (v) milk and dairy products; (vi) meat (beef, chicken, fish and sausage) and eggs; (vii) sugars (chocolate powder, ice cream, candy, cookies, jam, jelly, chocolate bars, pies and puddings, sweets, processed juices and soft drinks); (viii) oils and fats (oil, margarine, fried foods and pizza); and (ix) coffee
Step 3: Socio-economic variables	Monthly per capita family income ($US)
	Household food insecurity‡
	Number of residents in household

†Adjusted for children's total energy intake.

‡Food insecurity of the household estimated with the Brazilian Food Insecurity Scale^{( 19 )}.