The diets of British schoolchildren. Sub-committee on Nutritional Surveillance. Committee on Medical Aspects of Food Policy.

1. Statistical analysis and interpretation 1.1 This Report deals with the dietary habits of British schoolchildren and the contribution made by school meals in 1983. Since then many Local Education Authorities have introduced active policies to encourage healthy eating, accompanied in the last 4 years by health promotion campaigns, in the light of the publication of the COMA Report on Diet and Cardiovascular Disease in 1984, and other reports on diet and health. 1.2 Data are presented on the food and nutrient intakes of a representative sample of British schoolchildren measured by a 7-day record. Most food and some nutrient intakes were not normally distributed and median values are given in the tables of results. Interpretation and commentary are restricted to findings which achieved statistical significance (p less than 0.05) by parametric analyses. No non-parametric statistical analyses were attempted but data are given in detail in the tables and for those wishing to examine them further, the computer database of the survey is also available through the National Data Archive. Full documentation of the database may be obtained from the Social Survey Division of the Office of Population Censuses and Surveys, (OPCS) London. 2. Foods consumed 2.1 The main sources of dietary energy in the diets of British schoolchildren were bread, chips, milk, biscuits, meat products, cake and puddings. Almost all children in the survey recorded consumption of chips, crisps, cakes and biscuits. Boys recorded more chips consumed than girls along with more milk, breakfast cereals and baked beans; girls recorded more fruit consumed and more girls drank fruit juice than boys. Yogurt, fizzy drinks and sweets were more popular among younger children. Older children recorded consumption of more tea and coffee (para 9.2). 2.2 Scottish primary school children appeared to have a distinctive dietary pattern. They recorded higher median consumption of beef, soups, milk, cheese, sausages, chocolates and sweets and lower median consumption of cakes, biscuits, puddings, potatoes, and in particular, of vegetables of all kinds than children in the other regions of Great Britain (paras 9.3.2, 9.4.2, 9.5.2, 9.6.2). 2.3 Chips and milk were the two major items of the diets which varied most with social class and other socio-economic variables. Higher median chip consumption was recorded among social classes IV and V (para 9.3.3, 9.4.3, 9.5.3, 9.6.3), children with unemployed fathers, children from families receiving Supplementary Benefit (paras 9.3.5, 9.4.5, 9.5.5, 9.6.5), children taking school meals and those older children who ate out of school at cafes etc (para 8.4.2).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)