Faculty of Food Science and Biotechnology, University of Life Sciences in Lublin, Akademicka 15, 20950 Lublin, Poland.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022 Feb 10;19(4):1981. doi: 10.3390/ijerph19041981.
Effective strategies for improving eating habits and dietary intake in preschoolers are essential for reducing the risk of chronic non-infectious diseases in later life. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of long-term nutrition education for 3- to 6-year-olds on parental nutrition knowledge.
The study was conducted as part of the "Colorful Eating is Healthy Eating" nutrition education program that has been implemented in kindergartens in Lublin since 2016. A total of 11 kindergartens were involved in this stage of the program, and 733 parents consented to participate in the project. The study was divided into three stages. In the first stage all parents completed a questionnaire containing 54 items. In the next stage, 211 children from four randomly selected kindergartens participated in the "Colorful Eating Is Healthy Eating" educational program that lasted 7 months. In the third stage of the study, the parents of children who had completed the 7-month educational program and the parents of control group children once again completed the questionnaire.
A positive outcome of the educational program was that it contributed to a decrease in the consumption of sweetened hot beverages ( = 0.005) and an increase in water intake ( = 0.001). The nutrition education program was also successful in reducing the consumption of sweets. Children's education improved the parents' knowledge about dietary sources of fiber and the recommended fiber intake, and it contributed to the awareness that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. The program did not enhance the parents' knowledge about snacking between meals or the role of sweetened beverages in dental caries, overweight and obesity.
Long-term multi-stage nutrition education for children aged 3 to 6 years can be helpful in shaping families' eating habits and improving parental nutrition knowledge. However, the program was less effective in eliminating the respondents' preference for sweet-tasting foods.
在学龄前儿童中实施有效的饮食习惯和饮食摄入改善策略对于降低日后发生慢性非传染性疾病的风险至关重要。本研究旨在评估对 3 至 6 岁儿童进行长期营养教育对家长营养知识的影响。
该研究是“色彩饮食即健康饮食”营养教育计划的一部分，该计划自 2016 年以来一直在卢布林的幼儿园实施。该计划共有 11 所幼儿园参与，733 名家长同意参与该项目。研究分为三个阶段。在第一阶段，所有家长都填写了一份包含 54 个项目的问卷。在第二阶段，从随机选择的四所幼儿园中挑选了 211 名儿童参与持续 7 个月的“色彩饮食即健康饮食”教育计划。在研究的第三阶段，完成 7 个月教育计划的儿童的家长和对照组儿童的家长再次填写问卷。
教育计划的一个积极结果是，它有助于减少含糖热饮的消费（ = 0.005）和增加水的摄入量（ = 0.001）。营养教育计划还成功地减少了糖果的消费。儿童教育提高了家长对膳食纤维饮食来源和推荐膳食纤维摄入量的认识，使他们意识到早餐是一天中最重要的一餐。该计划并未增强家长对两餐之间吃零食或含糖饮料在龋齿、超重和肥胖中的作用的认识。
对 3 至 6 岁儿童进行长期多阶段营养教育有助于塑造家庭的饮食习惯并提高家长的营养知识。然而，该计划在消除受访者对甜食的偏好方面效果较差。
