Caparello Giovanna, Ceraudo Fabrizio, Meringolo Francesca, Augimeri Giuseppina, Morino Giuseppe, Bonofiglio Daniela
Department of Pharmacy, Health and Nutritional Sciences, University of Calabria, 87036 Arcavacata di Rende, CS, Italy.
Nutrition Unit, Bambino Gesù, Children's Hospital IRCCS, Rome, Italy.
J Clin Transl Endocrinol. 2024 Nov 23;38:100378. doi: 10.1016/j.jcte.2024.100378. eCollection 2024 Dec.
The promotion of a healthy diet, such as the Mediterranean Diet (MD), among childhood is of a particular importance, since eating behaviors learned early in life have been shown to be maintained into adolescence and adulthood. The most efficient intervention in childhood is the active involvement of the schools.
The aim of this study was to evaluate the adherence to the MD model and the skin carotenoid levels among children divided by their school lunch attendance.
This cross-sectional study involved 132 pupils (64 girls and 68 boys), divided between children who ate lunch at school (44%) and at home (56%). The children who had meals provided by the school participated in activities promoting the health benefits of fruits and vegetables. All participants underwent anthropometric measurements and assessment of the MD adherence and the physical activity using KIDMED and PAQ-C questionnaires, respectively, and skin carotenoid content using the Veggie Meter®.
We found mean KIDMED and PAQ-C scores, while skin carotenoid content was below the normal range in our population sample. Interestingly, children who ate lunch provided by the school had significantly higher carotenoid scores with respect to those who had lunch at home (). In multiple regression analyses, we found that carotenoid scores were positively influenced by gender (), school lunch attendance () and daily vegetable consumption () in our children population sample.
Our results suggest the importance of promoting a healthy lifestyle at the school to improve eating habits during childhood as a strategy for disease prevention across the lifespan.
在儿童时期推广健康饮食，如地中海饮食（MD），尤为重要，因为早年习得的饮食行为已被证明会持续到青少年期和成年期。儿童时期最有效的干预措施是学校的积极参与。
本研究的目的是评估按学校午餐就餐情况划分的儿童对MD模式的依从性和皮肤类胡萝卜素水平。
这项横断面研究涉及132名学生（64名女生和68名男生），分为在学校吃午餐的儿童（44%）和在家吃午餐的儿童（56%）。由学校提供餐食的儿童参加了促进水果和蔬菜健康益处的活动。所有参与者分别使用KIDMED和PAQ-C问卷进行人体测量、MD依从性评估和身体活动评估，并使用Veggie Meter®测量皮肤类胡萝卜素含量。
我们发现平均KIDMED和PAQ-C得分，而我们人群样本中的皮肤类胡萝卜素含量低于正常范围。有趣的是，在学校吃午餐的儿童的类胡萝卜素得分明显高于在家吃午餐的儿童（）。在多元回归分析中，我们发现类胡萝卜素得分在我们的儿童人群样本中受到性别（）、学校午餐就餐情况（）和每日蔬菜摄入量（）的正向影响。
我们的结果表明在学校推广健康生活方式以改善儿童时期饮食习惯作为预防一生疾病的策略的重要性。
