The assessment of eating habits in preschoolers from Republic of Moldova

Abstract

Introduction. Nutrition is a very important part of the field of population general health, including children. Incorrect diet or habits, adapted from kindergarten or family, lead to the onset of obesity, which has become a global problem among children. In Europe, 1 in 5 children is overweight. Aim of study. Analysis of eating habits in preschoolers from the Republic of Moldova. Methods and materials. A questionnaire of 21 questions related to food was used. The questionnaire was sent to 85 parents who have preschool children, thus participating in the study, 39 girls (45,9%) and 46 boys (54,1%) from the Republic of Moldova. Results. Results of this study showed that 69.4% of children have 3-4 meals a day, 18.8% have 5-6 meals a day and 11.8% have 1-2 meals a day. Of the total number of children, 46.4% like the food offered by the kindergarten often, sometimes - 31%, 10.7% - always, rarely - 9.5% and never - 2.4%. The menu of the institution is varied in 39.3% of cases. 30.6% of respondents said they eat fresh fruit daily, 23.5% eat meat daily, and dairy products 27.1% of children. 91.8% of the respondents consume more frequently cooked food at home, and 8.2% fast food. Overall, 58.8% confirmed that they eat fast food, of which 57.6% consume occasionally, 16.5% every 2-3 weeks, and 2.4% of them consume these products daily. Fast food products are consumed frequently for snacks (37.6%) and for 32.9% of the respondents for lunch. 65.9% of the respondents who consume fast food products state that the quality of the products is very important, for 43.5% of the respondents the saving of time is important, and the price of these products is important for 42.4% of the respondents. Out of the total respondents, 58.8% realise that fast food products are not healthy, and 81.2% consider that this type of diet can cause childhood obesity. Conclusion. Firstly, the health of preschool children depends primarily on the eating habits adopted in the family, as the nutrition offered by the kindergarten is correct and varied. Secondly, due to the lack of time, but also the accessibility of people to fast food, the risk of childhood obesity increases.