Some aspects of developing diets for children of different age groups

Abstract

Aim: to analyze the frequency of eating and the range of products used as snacks and to assess the impact of snacking on the digestive tract of children of different ages. Patients and Methods: a questionnaire survey of 2250 parents of preschoolers (3-6 years old) and 2250 parents of schoolchildren in Saratov city and Saratov region was conducted. Outpatient medical records of 4500 children were analyzed to assess the findings of physical exam performed by gastroenterologist, child's life and medical history, and the results of laboratory and instrumental tests used for evaluating the gastrointestinal system. Results: an adequate dietary pattern (breakfast, second breakfast, lunch, midday meal, dinner) was followed by 64% of preschoolers and 36% of schoolchildren (р<0.05). The majority of preschool- and school-aged children missed the second breakfast. Most of them — 90% of preschoolers and 78% of schoolchildren had snacks 1–3 times a day. Most commonly both preschool- and school-aged children were eating sausage snacks: 35% and 40% of the interviewed individuals, respectively. Fruits (32%) and confectionery products (22%) were the second most popular snacks among the preschool- and school-aged children. Every 5th preschooler and every 3rd schoolchild consumed sausage products weekly. Children who were snacking with sweets and eating sausages daily had more gastrointestinal complaints and more frequently required regular medical check-ups (registered with Group “D”) by gastroenterologist with the diagnoses of gastritis, gastroduodenitis, biliary dyskinesia, and chronic constipation, and this difference was statistically significant. Conclusion: preschool- and school-aged children most commonly get sausage and confectionary products as additional meals which may cause multiple health problems in the future. For the rational development of additional diets for children of different ages it is necessary to regulate such meals and to introduce consensus documents on the rate of consumption and the optimal formulations of food products used as snacks. KEYWORDS: schoolchildren, preschoolers, snacking, nutrition, gastrointestinal disorders. FOR CITATION: Chernenkov Yu.V., Gumenyuk O.I., Glushakov I.A., Glushakova V.D. Some aspects of developing diets for children of different age groups. Russian Journal of Woman and Child Health. 2023;6(2):169–174 (in Russ.). DOI: 10.32364/2618-8430-2023-6-2-169-174.