Organization of school-aged child nutrition as a current hygienic problem

Objective. To study the organization of school-age child nutrition as a current hygienic problem in the development of alimentarydependent pathology. Materials and methods. Hygienic, questionnaire/interview, and statistical research methods were used in this study, which was conducted in 66 regions of the Russian Federation and enrolled the heads of general education institutions (n = 3278), food service administrators (n = 712), students at general education institutions and their parents (n = 113,078). Results. The following main risk factors were identified: low coverage of hot meals among students in grades 10–11 (59.7%), insufficient content of food and dishes enriched with vitamins and micronutrients (48.8% compared to 79.2% when using outsourcing services), leading positions in the menu of dishes and products not corresponding to the principles of a healthy diet (pastries and confectionery products). The prevalence of overweight and obesity was high among children in grades 1–4 (34.6%) and, in some regions, in older age groups as well. Conclusion. Scientific analysis confirmed a high importance of monitoring the school-age child nutrition in identifying risk factors for alimentary-dependent diseases, which is the basis for the development of preventive measures. Key words: school-age children, healthy diet, alimentary-dependent pathology, nutrition monitoring, obesity, organized child nutrition