Comparison of Nutritional Status between Kindergarten Groups in Split

AIM: to determine whether there is a difference in the level of nutritional status of children across age groups, which would indicate the need for a change in caloric values of daily menus that are currently the same for all age groups in kindergartens in Split. PARTICIPANTS AND METHODS: The study was conducted during June 2020 in “Grigor Vitez” kindergarten in Split. All parents were asked to voluntarily complete a questionnaire with a guarantee of anonymity. The data on height and weight of children were used to calculate the nutritional indicators: the body mass index (BMI) and the percentile curves of the body mass index (% BMI), defined by gender and age. RESULTS: Data for 128 children aged 3 - 6.99 of the kindergarten "Grigor Vitez" were analyzed. Children in the selected kindergartens did not differ significantly in relation to the level of their nutritional status across age groups (3 – 3.99 years, 4 – 4.99 years, 5 – 5.99 years, 6 – 6.99 years). The highest average percentile was determined (60.30) in the age group of children aged 6.00 - 6.99, which is 12.89 points higher than the average value of the percentile of children aged 3.00 - 3.99 years, while no difference was found by testing (F = 0.936; p = 0.426). CONCLUSION: Only percentile values were compared between kindergarten groups, and so it can be concluded that meals may have appropriate energy values, which should be checked by analyzing the menus, and comparing them with the recommendations.