Primary School Children Nutrition - Assignment Example

The stages of lifespan development ly the early and middle childhood stages are characterized by the child's introduction to formal education or primary education. Psychologists state that this period is essential for children to learn the fundamentals of life through the process of school education. Aside from this, they are exposed to different expectations and pressures coming from school work so there is an increasing need for proper nutrition and diet. The primary education in UK has a collaboration with the government through promoting programs related to the addition of fruits and vegetables in the daily meal plans of children. The government has taken steps to improve the nutrition, health and wellness of every individual. They want to have these attitudes inculcated starting with the young ones using the best way possible which is through family and the school communities. The primary school children is the target market of government initiatives such nutrition programs involving fruits and vegetables as part of their meal plans. The ages of the children ranges from 5 years towards late childhood stage of development. It is important to note that growth during early childhood proceeds at a slow rate as compared with the rapid rate of growth in babyhood. Early childhood is a time relatively even growth, though there are seasonal variations. There have been several studies and researches which aim to provide data and information as to how the fruits and vegetables affect the development and performance of children in schools, homes and communities. University of Columbia conducted a study regarding Fruit and Vegetable Intake in Preschool Children. The aim of the study was to find out if preschool children get the adequate and required amount of fruits and vegetable servings per day. The cross sectional study involved one hundred 2-year old kids and one hundred seven 5-year old kids as their sample population. The procedures that they used in their assessments were dietary intake assessment, study population, calculation of fruit and vegetable consumption, questionnaire data, statistical analysis The results stated that the 2-year-old children ate and drank the similar numbers of servings per day of fruits, fruit juices, and total fruits and vegetables as the 5-year-old children. The children's consumption of fruits, fruit juices, vegetables, and total fruits and vegetables did not differ based on PPC educational achievement nor their participation in WIC. Fruit juice contributed significantly to the total fruit servings consumed and to the total number of fruit and vegetable servings consumed, representing 54% of all fruit servings and 42% of all fruit and vegetable servings consumed. Thirty-nine percent of the fruit juice consumed was mixed fruit juice (the majority of which was fortified with vitamin C), 30% was apple juice, 23% was orange juice, 7% was grape juice, and 1% was pear or pear-apple juice. Most children consumed less than 0.5 vegetable servings/day. Children who consumed more than 0.5 vegetable servings/day were more likely to eat vegetables at more than one meal or snack during the day, while those who consumed less than 0.5 serving/day tended to eat vegetables at only one eating occasion. This significantly greater 0.2 servings/day of vegetables, however, was counter-balanced by a non-significantly lower 0.3 servings/day of total fruits, with the net result being that the total number of fruit and vegetable servings/day consumed by the two age groups of children did not differ significantly. Therefore, the two age groups were combined in subsequent analyses. Fruit juice plays a larger role in children's diets than adult's diets. Children, especially young children, consume more servings and a greater percent of total calories from fruit juice, but fewer servings and calories from vegetables than adults. In this study, as in others, fruit juice contributed about 50% of the total fruit servings consumed by the children compared to 35% in adults' diets; fruit juice also contributed 33-42% of the total fruit and vegetable servings consumed by these children vs. 9% in adults' diets. Given children's innate preference for sweet foods, it is not surprising that some children might consume relatively large amounts of fruit juice. Excess fruit juice consumption has been associated with diarrhea, growth failure, and short stature in some children, while in other children; excess juice intake has been associated with obesity. It is very essential to educate children regarding the importance of fruits and vegetables in their food intake. There are recommended meal plans which may help parents in food preparation for children however it is also necessary to instruct kids as to watch what they eat outside home. The understanding of terms related to nutrition should be introduced to kids. The term "portion sizes" may have different meanings to each child. A study conducted in Liverpool was undertaken by nutritionists which aim to describe portion sizes of various fruits and vegetables selected by primary school children. A cross-sectional study collected data on children's self-selected portions of fruits and vegetables. Forty-three boys and 52 girls aged 9-10 years attending after school food clubs in Liverpool took part. Children placed a portion' of each fruit and vegetable into an empty bowl which was weighed using digital scales accurate to 1 g. Results Mean portion sizes ranged from 126 g for satsumas to 61 g for peas but there were no significant differences between boys and girls. Portions of fruits were larger than portions of vegetables and although there were statistically significant correlations between the portion sizes selected by individual children they were not particularly strong. Children's fruit consumption was assessed using two questions: (1) 'How many days per week does your child eat fruit/do you eat fruit' and (2) 'How many portions of fruit does your child eat/do you eat on a day that he or she/you consume(s) fruit'. The average consumption of whole fruit (in portions per day) was calculated by multiplying both questions and dividing the result by seven. Children's frequency of vegetable intake was measured using three questions:(1) 'How many times per week does your child eat cooked or baked vegetables for dinner (including mixed dishes)'; (2) 'How many times per week does your child eat mixed dishes like macaroni'; and (3) 'How many times per week does your child eat extra salad items, like lettuce, tomato, or other raw vegetables' These children had all taken part in activities promoting 5-a-day' but their perception of a portion' varied enormously. It is recommended that children receive targeted activities to help them improve their understanding of what constitutes a portion'. Bere E, Klepp KI :Correlates of fruit and vegetable intake among Norwegian schoolchildren: parental and self-reports. Public Health Nutr 2004, 7(8):991-998. Blanchette L, Brug J :Determinants of fruit and vegetable consumption among 6-12-year-old children and effective interventions to increase consumption. J Hum Nutr Diet 2005, 18:431-443. Brug J, Yngve A, Klepp KI :The Pro Children Study: Conceptualization, Baseline Results and Intervention Development of a European Effort to Promote Fruit and Vegetable Consumption in Schoolchildren. Ann Nutr Metab 2005, 49:209-211. Burchett H :Increasing fruit and vegetable consumption among British primary schoolchildren: a review. Pomerleau J, Lock K, Knai C, McKee M :Effectiveness of interventions and programmes promoting fruit and vegetable intake. Edited by: WHO. Geneva, Switzerland , WHO; 2005:1-133. Donders-Engelen M, van der Heijden L, Hulshof KFAM :Maten, gewichten en codenummers . Wageningen, Landbouwuniversiteit Wageningen: Afdeling Humane Voeding; 2003. Frobisher C, Maxwell SM :The estimation of food portion sizes: a comparison between using descriptions of portion sizes and a photographic food atlas by children and adults. J Hum Nutr Diet 2003, 16(3):181-188 Haraldsdttir J, Thrsdttir I, de Almeida MDV, Maes L, Prez Rodrigo C, Elmadfa I, Frost Andersen L :Validity and Reproducibility of a Precoded Questionnaire to Assess Fruit and Vegetable Intake in European 11- to 12-Year-Old Schoolchildren. Ann Nutr Metab 2005, 49:221-227. Livingstone MBE, Robson J, Wallace JMW :Issues in dietary intake assessment of children and adolescents. Br J Nutr 2004, 92(Suppl.2):S213-S222. Lytle LA, Ward J, Nader PR, Pedersen S, Williston BJ :Maintenance of a Health Promotion Program in Elementary Schools: Results from the Catch-on Study Key Informant Interviews . Health Educ Behav 2003, 30(4):503. Reinaerts EBM, De Nooijer J, Candel M, De Vries NK :Increasing children's fruit and vegetable consumption: Distribution or multi-component programs Public Health Nutr, Reinaerts E, De Nooijer J, Candel M, De Vries NK :Explaining school children's fruit & vegetable consumption: the contributions of availability, accessibility, exposure, parental consumption and habit in addition to psychosocial factors. Appetite 2007, 48:248-258. Rasmussen M, Krolner R, Klepp KI, Lytle L, Brug J, Bere E, Due P :Determinants of fruit and vegetable consumption among children and adolescents: a review of the literature. Part I: quantitative studies. Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act 2006., 3(22 Tak NI, te Velde SJ, de Vries JHM, Brug J :Parent and child reports of fruit and vegetable intakes and related family environmental factors show low levels of agreement. J Hum Nutr Diet 2006, 19:275-285. Read More