Special aspects of Ukrainian schoolchildren’s eating behavior

Abstract

Purpose: analysis of school age children’s eating behavior. Materials: in questioning 408 schoolchildren (15-16 and 17-18 years’ age) participated. Distribution by sex was practically equal: 56.62% were girls and 43.38% - boys. The questionnaire included questions about frequency of eating some food during recent 30 days. Separate block of questions was devoted to eating habits and presence of the so-called “food trash” in diet. The bent to alimentary diseases was assessed by incidence of excessive body mass in respondents’ families. Results: The determined food consumption permitted to assume the presence of certain eating stereotype: for boys it is directed at development o muscular mass and for girls - mainly of limiting character, connected with diets for correction of constitution. Analysis of some food eating frequency permitted to mark out alimentary risk factors, which require correction and prophylaxis. Conclusions: the found special aspects of eating behavior permit to assess children’s health state as pre-nosology of alimentary genesis, manifested in excessive body mass, deficit of essential vitamins, minerals and food fibers; functional disorders of digestion.

Keywords

• eating
• schoolchildren
• diet
• eating behavior