[Analysis of the diet and food structure of the daily diet of children aged 3-17 years in the Russian Federation]

Abstract

A healthy diet is a necessary condition for the normal physical and mental development of children, which has a significant impact on the ability to withstand the effects of adverse environmental factors and determines the health of future generations. Healthy nutrition of children and adolescents is important not only for the normal physical and mental development of the child, but also as a factor determining the health of future generations. It is important for the preservation of the child's health to have a proper diet, that is, the distribution of the amount of food during the day (the multiplicity of meals), its energy value, chemical composition, food set for individual meals, a certain time of intake and the duration of intervals between meals. The aim of the study - to analyze the diet, nutrient and energy consumption and the structure of the food set of various meals in children aged 3-17 years. Material and methods. Analysis of the actual nutrition of about 18 000 children on the basis of primary materials obtained by the Federal State Statistics Service during the Selective observation of the diets of the population. Results. An analysis of nutrition of children aged 3-17 showed that the majority of children (67.9%) had three main meals with a hot meal (breakfast, lunch, dinner), while they accounted for the largest amounts of energy consumption in all age groups. Supplementary meals (evening snack and second breakfast) were characterized by the lowest calorie value, the afternoon snack occupied an intermediate position in terms of energy consumption. At the same time, energy consumption with the main meals as a % of the daily calorie intake did not correspond to the recommended values. A shift in energy consumption to the second half of the day, including just before bedtime, was revealed, especially in older children, which is a bad eating habit that can contribute to weight gain in a child. Bread products, cereals and cereal dishes made the greatest contribution to the daily calorie intake of children of all ages (32.4- 33.0%). Meat products occupied the second position in the share of daily calorie content (12.8-21.2%), dairy products provided 9.5-14.0% of daily energy, and among preschoolers their consumption, in contrast to meat products, was the highest, and among older schoolchildren - the lowest. An additional 8.3 to 14.9% of energy came from sugars found in non-dairy drinks, confectionery, chocolate, jams, and other sweets. Conclusion. An analysis of the diet and food structure of the daily ration of children aged 3-17 revealed deviations from the principles of healthy eating, especially in schoolchildren: energy consumption with the main meals did not meet the recommended norms, a significant proportion of the calorie intake fell on the second half of the day. Differences in the contribution of meals, as well as individual foods and dishes, to the total daily calorie value of diets in children, depending on age, have been established.

Keywords: children; children’s nutrition; food structure of the diet; nutritional value of the diet.