Food habit and Nutrient Intake in Preschool Children -Daegu and its Environs-

This study was conducted to evaluate the food habits and nutrient intake of preschool children by investigating their food and snack consumption. To accomplish this, a food habit questionnaire and dietary intake survey was administered to 148 children between 2 and 6 years of age (average 4.8 years). According to the Kaup index, the underweight, normal, overweight and obesity levels of the subjects were 4.7, 60.1, 26.4, and 8.8%, respectively. In addition, the total energy intake met the EAR ($1433.94{\pm}369.70kcal$), whereas the protein, iron, phosphorus, vitamin B and vitamin C levels exceeded the EAR and the RI. Furthermore, the nutrient intake profile revealed that the mean caloric value of breakfasts consumed by preschool children in Daegu (403 kcal) was significantly (p<0.001) higher than that of preschool children in the Gyeongbuk area (271 kcal). Additionally, preschool children in Daegu ($382.96{\pm}255.79kcal$) usually consumed significantly (p<0.01) less food than those in the Gyeongbuk area ($413.82{\pm}275.43kcal$). The preferred snacks among subjects (in descending order) were milk, bread, fruit, potato or sweet potato and cookies. The mean score of the Food Habit was $3.72{\pm}0.35$ out of 5, although the score of preschool children in Daegu ($3.77{\pm}0.32$) was significantly (p<0.05) higher than that of children in the Gyeongbuk area ($3.65{\pm}0.32$). Taken together, these results indicate that there were significant differences in the Food Habit and nutrient intake level of children in Daegu and the Gyeongbuk area. Therefore, parents and caregivers should be aware of the importance of the nutritional status of preschool children and choose healthy snacks for them.

지방의 일부 학령 전 아동의 식습관 및 영양소 섭취수준 -대구 및 인근 소도시 중심으로-