Ocena wiedzy rodziców dzieci w wieku 6-10 lat na temat podstawowych zasad prawidłowego żywienia

Background.One of the most important factors in a child's development is balanced diet and the formation of good eating habits.Material and methods.Parents of children (n=908) aged 6-10 attending primary schools in Poland were surveyed between September 2018 and June 2019.The research tool was a survey questionnaire divided into 4 parts.The first 3 parts dealt with information about the child, while the 4th part was dedicated to parents, and the questions in it assessed parents' knowledge about the correct principles of child nutrition.Results.Almost half of the respondents rightly claimed that a proper balanced diet for a child should include five or more meals per day.Slightly less than half of the respondents, i.e. 40.5%, stated incorrectly that the child's daily intake of milk or milk products should be one portion.Only 6.4% of the parents correctly considered that the daily consumption of dairy products by the child should be at least three to four portions.The correct answer about the recommended consumption of 5 portions of fruit and vegetables per day was indicated by 12.7% of parents.Almost half of the parents knew that regular physical activity is at the base of the Pyramid of Healthy Food and Lifestyle for Children and Teenagers.Conclusions.Parents' knowledge of proper nutrition is still insufficient.It is very important that the correct principles of nutrition apply to everyone in the household, and not just to the child in an isolated way.