Physical Activity Nutrition and Obesity Research Group, School of Public Health, University of Sydney, New South Wales.
Aust N Z J Public Health. 2010 Jun;34(3):288-92. doi: 10.1111/j.1753-6405.2010.00528.x.
Early childhood services have been identified as key settings for promoting healthy eating and obesity prevention. However, little is known about the obesity-related behaviours of preschool-aged children or food-related policies in these settings. The purpose of this study was to describe the contents of preschoolers' lunchboxes to inform future interventions.
Cross-sectional survey of 259 children attending preschools in the Sydney West and Sydney South West regions of New South Wales in 2008. Lunchbox data were collected using a purpose-designed audit tool. Food and beverages were classified as fruit, vegetables, dairy, breads and cereals, 'extra' (energy-dense) foods, 'extra' drinks or water.
Sandwiches and home-cooked meals were the most frequently identified food item, found in 92% of children's lunchboxes, followed by fresh fruit. However, 60% of lunchboxes contained more than one serve of extra food or drink.
While nutrition guidelines allow one to two serves of extra foods per day for preschool-aged children, the majority of children appear to consume most of this allocation during their school day, potentially contributing to over-consumption of extra foods and excess kilojoule intake.
Preschool food policies may help to guide the content of children's lunchboxes, however this study emphasises the need for better communication and enforcement of these policies, as well as broader public policy changes.
儿童早期服务机构已被确定为促进健康饮食和预防肥胖的重要场所。然而，对于这些环境中学龄前儿童的肥胖相关行为或与食物相关的政策知之甚少。本研究的目的是描述学龄前儿童午餐盒的内容，以为未来的干预措施提供信息。
2008 年对新南威尔士州悉尼西部和悉尼西南部地区的 259 名入读幼儿园的儿童进行了横断面调查。使用专门设计的审核工具收集午餐盒数据。食物和饮料分为水果、蔬菜、奶制品、面包和谷物、“额外”（高能量）食物、“额外”饮料或水。
三明治和家常饭菜是最常被识别的食物，在 92%的儿童午餐盒中都能找到，其次是新鲜水果。然而，60%的午餐盒中含有超过一份的额外食物或饮料。
尽管营养指南允许学龄前儿童每天额外摄入一到两份食物，但大多数儿童似乎在上学期间就消耗了大部分额外食物的摄入量，这可能导致过度摄入额外食物和摄入过多的卡路里。
幼儿园的食物政策可能有助于指导儿童午餐盒的内容，但本研究强调需要更好地沟通和执行这些政策，以及进行更广泛的公共政策改革。
