Objective. To document the prevalence of junk foods seen at clinic visits. Design. A cross-sectional 23-item survey of observed food items were completed by medical staff using a convenience sample of families from June 2, 2011 to March 2, 2012. Setting. The study was conducted in pediatric clinics affiliated with the University of Texas Medical School at Houston. Participants. A convenience sample consisting of 738 families with children from 4 months to 16 years old presenting for visits were included in the study. Children exclusively breast and formula fed was excluded. Results. Junk food was observed 20.9% at the clinic visits. Conclusions and relevance. Junk food was often seen at clinic visits. There was a trend toward higher body mass index in patients whose families had junk food at the visit.
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