Sirasa Fathima, Mitchell Lana, Harris Neil
Public Health, School of Medicine, Griffith University, Gold Coast, QLD, Australia.
Department of Applied Nutrition, Wayamba University of Sri Lanka, Makandura, Sri Lanka.
Matern Child Nutr. 2020 Oct;16(4):e13006. doi: 10.1111/mcn.13006. Epub 2020 Apr 30.
Childhood malnutrition, associated with poor diet, is a clear public health threat in Sri Lanka, with high rates of under-nutrition and micronutrient deficiencies coupled with the growing risk of overweight/obesity in urban locations. This study explored the dietary diversity and food intake of urban living Sri Lankan preschool children. A cross-sectional analysis of the baseline data from a cohort study was conducted with parents/caregivers of children aged 2-6 years, from 21 preschool centres in Kurunegala District, Sri Lanka. Demographic and socio-economic factors, dietary diversity score (DDS) (n = 597) and food intake (n = 458) (using a food frequency questionnaire) were assessed. Children had a mean DDS of 4.56 ± 0·85 out of 9, with most (91.1%) in the medium DDS category (DDS of 3.1-6.0), consuming rice as most common food. Lentils were consumed more than any meat or alternative food groups at all DDS levels. Child DDS differs with parent/caregiver age and ethnicity. Mean daily intakes of fruit (1.02) and vegetables (0.84) servings align with approximately half of national recommendations, with less than 20% of children meeting daily recommendations. More than one-third consumed sugary snacks and confectionaries daily and 1 in 10 had them twice a day. Around 40% reported watching television while eating the evening meal. Despite the majority having reasonable DDSs (medium category), findings highlighted inadequate intakes of fruits and vegetables, excessive intakes of sugary snacks and unhealthy dietary and social behaviours, suggests the need for population-based interventions to promote healthier dietary habits.
儿童营养不良与不良饮食有关，在斯里兰卡是一个明显的公共卫生威胁，该国营养不良和微量营养素缺乏率很高，同时城市地区超重/肥胖的风险也在增加。本研究探讨了生活在城市的斯里兰卡学龄前儿童的饮食多样性和食物摄入量。对来自斯里兰卡库鲁内格勒区21所学前教育中心的2至6岁儿童的父母/照顾者进行了一项队列研究基线数据的横断面分析。评估了人口统计学和社会经济因素、饮食多样性得分（DDS）（n = 597）和食物摄入量（n = 458）（使用食物频率问卷）。儿童的平均DDS在9分制中为4.56±0·85，大多数（91.1%）属于中等DDS类别（DDS为3.1 - 6.0），最常食用的食物是大米。在所有DDS水平上，食用小扁豆的频率都高于任何肉类或其他食物类别。儿童的DDS因父母/照顾者的年龄和种族而异。水果（1.02份）和蔬菜（0.84份）的平均每日摄入量约为国家建议量的一半，只有不到20%的儿童达到每日建议量。超过三分之一的儿童每天食用含糖零食和糖果，十分之一的儿童每天食用两次。约40% 的儿童报告在吃晚餐时看电视。尽管大多数儿童的DDS处于合理水平（中等类别），但研究结果突出了水果和蔬菜摄入量不足、含糖零食摄入量过多以及不健康的饮食和社交行为，这表明需要开展基于人群的干预措施来促进更健康的饮食习惯。
