Nutritional status of children and nutritional and energy value of meals assessment in kindergarten from Zagreb county

Planiranje prehrane u dječjim vrtićima omogućuje zadovoljavanje energetskih i nutritivnih potreba djece ovisno o njihovoj dobi te doprinosi normalnom rastu i razvoju djeteta. Neadekvatna prehrana dovodi do nepovoljnog prehrambenog statusa koji je jedan od prvih rizičnih čimbenika za razvoj kroničnih nezaraznih bolesti. Cilj ovog rada bio je utvrditi prehrambeni status djece i kakvoću prehrane u dječjem vrtiću s područja Zagrebačke županije tijekom određenog perioda te dobivene rezultate usporediti s trenutno važećim preporukama propisanim „Programom zdravstvene zaštite djece, higijene i pravilne prehrane djece u dječjim vrtićima“. U ukupnom uzorku (N=200) najveći broj djece imao je adekvatnu tjelesnu masu, dok je pretile djece i djece s prekomjernom tjelesnom masom bilo 10,8 %. Prosječna dnevna energetska vrijednost analiziranih jelovnika iznosila je 922,54 ± 11,18 kcal. Pri usporedbi s obzirom na tri godišnja doba obuhvaćena istraživanjem nije utvrđena statistički značajna razlika za nijedan promatrani parametar. Prema dobivenim rezultatima može se zaključiti da je prehranu u analiziranom vrtiću potrebno prilagoditi s obzirom na dob djece kako bi zadovoljili zadane preporuke i zadržali pozitivan prehrambeni status djece u vrtiću, dok posebnu pažnju treba obratiti na unos jednostavnih šećera i natrija, kao i kalcija, cinka i željeza te prehrambenih vlakana.Planning meals in kindergartens allows meeting the energy and nutritional needs of children depending on their age and contributes to normal growth and development of the child. Inadequate nutrition leads to unfavorable nutritional status, which is which is one of the first risk factors for chronic diseases. The aim of this study was to determine nutritional status of children and diet quality in kindergarten from Zagreb County during a specified period, and the results were compared with current guidelines from "Program of health care for children, hygiene and proper nutrition of children in kindergartens". In the total sample of (N = 200) most children had normal weight while obese children and children with overweight was 10.8%. The average daily energy value of the analyzed menus was 922,54 ± 11,18 kcal. When comparing the parameters given in three seasons surveyed there were no significant differences for any observed. According to the results it can be concluded that the consumption in the analyzed kindergarten need to be adjusted according to age in order to satisfy the recommendation and maintain a positive nutritional status of children in kindergarten, while special attention should be paid to intake of simple sugars and sodium, as well as calcium, zinc and iron and dietary fiber