Assessment of nutritional behaviour of children aged 3-7 from selected kindergartens in Biala Podlaska county

Background: Children constitute a group that is particularly susceptible to the effects of improper nutrition. The knowledge of parents and guardians about proper nutrition affects their children’s nutritional habits and behaviours. Children develop their patterns of nutritional behaviours on the basis of their observations of nutritional habits of adults, nutrition trends and nutritional education.

Objective: The aim of the study was to assess nutritional behaviours of children aged 3-7 from selected kindergartens in Biala Podlaska county.

Material and methods: The research included 549 children, i.e. 258 girls (47%) and 291 boys (53%) aged 3-7 years. The study was conducted in 2015 within the county health prevention and promotion programme titled “Together for heart” in several selected kindergartens in Biala Podlaska county. A questionnaire prepared by the authors and distributed among parents of the examined children was used in the study. The questions regarded the frequency and number of meals, types of products consumed between the meals and the frequency of consuming fruit and vegetables, sweets, fizzy drinks, fast foods and milk or dairy products (natural yoghurt, kefir, cottage cheese). Differences between the responses to the questions in groups divided according to sex were analysed with the use of χ2 test (G function).

Results: It was revealed that 219 girls (84.9%) and 273 boys (93.8%) had at least four meals a day while 23.7% of the children left home without breakfast. The main meal, i.e. dinner, was eaten by 227 girls and 256 boys every day, which constituted 88% of each gender group. In turn, 20 girls and 27 boys (8% and 9% of the study participants, respectively) regularly skipped supper. The most common products consumed between the main meals were fruit and vegetables (eaten by 44% of the girls and 39% of the boys). It was declared that dairy products (milk, natural yoghurt and/or kefir) were consumed once a week or less frequently by 43% of the girls and 45% of the boys. Cottage cheese was equally rarely eaten, i.e. 48% of the girls and 44% of the boys reported having it once a week or less frequently. The study also revealed insufficient consumption of fish. It was eaten once a week or less frequently by 60% of the girls and 50% of the boys.

Conclusions: The assessment of nutritional behaviours revealed mistakes which may negatively affect proper development if they are repeated. It seems necessary to implement nutritional education among children and their parents in order to shape proper nutritional behaviours and correct mistakes.