Dataset Information

The Contribution of Preschool Meals to the Diet of Finnish Preschoolers.

ABSTRACT: Preschool meals may influence the formation of children's dietary habits and health. We assessed the contribution of preschool meals to the diet of Finnish children. We used food record data from the cross-sectional DAGIS survey and selected recording days which included all three meals (breakfast, lunch, afternoon snack) at preschool. We analyzed the diet of three- to four-year-olds (n = 324) and five- to six-year-olds (n = 233). Preschool meals accounted for 54% of the weekday's energy intake in both age groups, and provided ?60% of total fiber, polyunsaturated fatty acids, and vitamins D and E. More than 60% of fish dishes but only one third of total daily fresh fruit were consumed at preschool. The mean (SD) percentages of energy from protein and fat at preschool were 17% (3%) and 30% (7%) in the younger and 17% (3%) and 31% (6%) in the older age group, respectively. The mean proportions of energy from added sugar at preschool were below 5% in both age groups. On average, salt intake exceeded recommendations and 60% of salt came from preschool food. Tackling high salt intake should be a future goal of guidance for early childhood education and care food services.

SUBMITTER: Korkalo L

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6683016 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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The Contribution of Preschool Meals to the Diet of Finnish Preschoolers.

Korkalo Liisa L Nissinen Kaija K Skaffari Essi E Vepsäläinen Henna H Lehto Reetta R Kaukonen Riikka R Koivusilta Leena L Sajaniemi Nina N Roos Eva E Erkkola Maijaliisa M

Nutrients 20190705 7

Preschool meals may influence the formation of children's dietary habits and health. We assessed the contribution of preschool meals to the diet of Finnish children. We used food record data from the cross-sectional DAGIS survey and selected recording days which included all three meals (breakfast, lunch, afternoon snack) at preschool. We analyzed the diet of three- to four-year-olds (<i>n</i> = 324) and five- to six-year-olds (<i>n</i> = 233). Preschool meals accounted for 54% of the weekday's ...[more]

PMID: 31284433

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Project description:To compare early literacy of 4- and 5-year-old uncorrected hyperopic children with that of emmetropic children.Cross-sectional.Children attending preschool or kindergarten who had not previously worn refractive correction.Cycloplegic refraction was used to identify hyperopia (?3.0 to ?6.0 diopters [D] in most hyperopic meridian of at least 1 eye, astigmatism ?1.5 D, anisometropia ?1.0 D) or emmetropia (hyperopia ?1.0 D; astigmatism, anisometropia, and myopia <1.0 D). Threshold visual acuity (VA) and cover testing ruled out amblyopia or strabismus. Accommodative response, binocular near VA, and near stereoacuity were measured.Trained examiners administered the Test of Preschool Early Literacy (TOPEL), composed of Print Knowledge, Definitional Vocabulary, and Phonological Awareness subtests.A total of 492 children (244 hyperopes and 248 emmetropes) participated (mean age, 58 months; mean ± standard deviation of the most hyperopic meridian, +3.78±0.81 D in hyperopes and +0.51±0.48 D in emmetropes). After adjustment for age, race/ethnicity, and parent/caregiver's education, the mean difference between hyperopes and emmetropes was -4.3 (P = 0.01) for TOPEL overall, -2.4 (P = 0.007) for Print Knowledge, -1.6 (P = 0.07) for Definitional Vocabulary, and -0.3 (P = 0.39) for Phonological Awareness. Greater deficits in TOPEL scores were observed in hyperopic children with ?4.0 D than in emmetropes (-6.8, P = 0.01 for total score; -4.0, P = 0.003 for Print Knowledge). The largest deficits in TOPEL scores were observed in hyperopic children with binocular near VA of 20/40 or worse (-8.5, P = 0.002 for total score; -4.5, P = 0.001 for Print Knowledge; -3.1, P = 0.04 for Definitional Vocabulary) or near stereoacuity of 240 seconds of arc or worse (-8.6, P < 0.001 for total score; -5.3, P < 0.001 for Print Knowledge) compared with emmetropic children.Uncorrected hyperopia ?4.0 D or hyperopia ?3.0 to ?6.0 D associated with reduced binocular near VA (20/40 or worse) or reduced near stereoacuity (240 seconds of arc or worse) in 4- and 5-year-old children enrolled in preschool or kindergarten is associated with significantly worse performance on a test of early literacy.

Project description:BackgroundWhere families eat together from a common dish, the shared meal must be nutrient dense enough in each nutrient to meet the needs of the highest-need member.ObjectivesThis study aimed to develop an aggregate household nutrient requirement benchmark that satisfies all members' needs in a context in which meals are shared and to illustrate how that metric could inform food and nutrition policy making.MethodsWe merged nationally representative survey data for Malawi in 2010, 2013, and 2016-2017 with individual nutrient requirements and local food composition data to compute the adequacy of each household's aggregate consumption given its demographic composition and primary occupation. To meet each person's nutrient needs at any level of energy balance, the nutrient density of their shared diet needs to be within boundaries of the most restrictive member. We classified the adequacy of each household's diet using these energy-adjusted densities and examined differences by sociodemographic characteristics.ResultsAccounting for meal sharing and nutrient density needs of the highest-need member, virtually all households' food consumption is insufficiently nutrient dense in riboflavin, selenium, lipids, and vitamin B-12, and most consumption is insufficiently nutrient dense in zinc and phosphorus as well. Meeting needs of women, adolescent girls, and young children using shared diets would on average require 145% more iron, 98% more zinc, and approximately 70% more phosphorus and vitamin C than if their needs were met with individualized diets.ConclusionsEstablishing shared nutrient requirements is feasible using existing survey data and can help set sufficiency criteria in settings in which families share meals. In Malawi, current diets and food composition are inadequate for many nutrients, especially in households with more women and adolescent girls. The results call for concerted investment to increase access to and use of more nutrient-dense foods.

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Dataset Information

The Contribution of Preschool Meals to the Diet of Finnish Preschoolers.

Publications

The Contribution of Preschool Meals to the Diet of Finnish Preschoolers.

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