Bundhun Digvijayini, Rampadarath Sillma, Puchooa Daneshwar, Jeewon Rajesh
Department of Health Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of Mauritius, Réduit 80837, Mauritius.
Faculty of Agriculture, University of Mauritius, Réduit 80837, Mauritius.
Heliyon. 2018 Mar 1;4(2):e00546. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2018.e00546. eCollection 2018 Feb.
The purpose of the study was to explore the dietary intake, fruit, vegetable and energy intake and lifestyle behaviors among Mauritian children. A validated questionnaire was used, assessing dietary intake, mean energy intake, mean body mass index (BMI), lifestyle behaviors as well as nutritional knowledge (NK) among males and females. 336 children aged 6-12 years (165 males and 171 females) from 8 public primary schools were recruited. Statistical analyses revealed that children consumed less nutritious foods such as fruits, vegetables and whole grains and more of refined and calorie-laden foods, with no significant differences across genders. Mean energy intake of children was 1522 ± 282.4 kcal per day while mean BMI was 17.5 ± 4.03 kg/m. Majority of children had a low-to-moderate physical activity level (PAL), with males being more active than females on average ( = ). 88.7% of children watched TV for more than an hour daily, with 84.8% of them reporting to be eating during the process. Females were more likely to be breakfast skippers ( = ). Maximum frequency of snacking was twice daily (72.7%) while consumption of fast food was once or twice weekly (44.0%). Results indicate the need for intervention with aim of improving the dietary and life quality of children in Mauritius.
该研究的目的是探究毛里求斯儿童的饮食摄入、水果、蔬菜和能量摄入以及生活方式行为。使用了一份经过验证的问卷，评估男性和女性的饮食摄入、平均能量摄入、平均体重指数（BMI）、生活方式行为以及营养知识（NK）。招募了来自8所公立小学的336名6至12岁的儿童（165名男性和171名女性）。统计分析表明，儿童食用的水果、蔬菜和全谷物等营养食品较少，而食用的精制和高热量食品较多，不同性别之间没有显著差异。儿童的平均能量摄入量为每天1522±282.4千卡，而平均BMI为17.5±4.03千克/平方米。大多数儿童的身体活动水平较低至中等，平均而言男性比女性更活跃（=）。88.7%的儿童每天看电视超过一小时，其中84.8%的儿童报告在看电视过程中吃东西。女性更有可能不吃早餐（=）。吃零食的最高频率是每天两次（72.7%），而吃快餐的频率是每周一次或两次（44.0%）。结果表明需要进行干预，以改善毛里求斯儿童的饮食和生活质量。
