Background
to the Research
- Childhood
and adolescence are widely recognised as the times when the foundations
of diet-related conditions such as obesity, raised blood pressure,
raised cholesterol and heart disease can be laid down. The eating
habits of these age groups have been identified as requiring particular
attention, in an effort to promote and protect the health of the young
and to invest in better health for their adult years. Information
on these eating habits can be used to identify particular issues that
need to be addressed, and can provide a baseline against which future
dietary assessments of these age groups can be measured.
- While
some information is available, little is known about the eating patterns
of children of primary school age in NI.
Research
Approach
- The
dietary behaviour of children and young people (5-17 years old) was
assessed by asking parents about the frequency of consumption of a
range of foods and about breakfast and lunchtime habits.
- A random
probability sample of 2050 addresses throughout NI was drawn from
the database of the Valuation and Lands Agency. This method yielded
a sample of 716 children.
Main
Findings
- Of
the 716 children, 53% were male and 47% female. 52% of the sample
was in the 5-11 age range and 48% in the 12-17 range. 46% of the total
sample was identified as belonging to the non-manual socio-economic
group and 49% to the manual socioeconomic group.
- Most
children, and more boys than girls, eat breakfast on weekdays, with
86% eating on all five weekdays and 6% on none. Girls in the 12-17
year group have the poorest weekday breakfast habit, and there is
a marked decline in breakfast consumption between younger and older
girls. 90% of children from non-manual households, and 82% of those
from manual households eat breakfast every weekday.
- School
lunches are taken by 49% of the sample, 43% take packed lunches, 3%
go home for lunch and 3% buy lunch outside school. More children from
manual households eat school meals, while more from non-manual take
packed lunch. Buying lunch outside school is more common among those
from non-manual households; going home for lunch is more common among
those from manual households.
- 73%
of children eat fruit 'most days', and 52% every day. 10% of children
eat fruit less than once per week or not at all. Girls eat more fruit
than boys, and younger children eat fruit more often than older children.
Children from non-manual households eat fruit more frequently than
those from manual households.
- Most
children eat one or two fruit portions per day.
- 61%
of the sample eat vegetables 'most days', and 40% every day. Again,
girls eat vegetables more frequently, with little variation between
age groups. 46% of those from non-manual and 35% from manual households
eat vegetables at least once per day. Of those who eat vegetables,
91% eat one or two portions.
- Only
11% of children were eating the recommended daily number of portions
of fruit and vegetables. One in five boys and one in eight girls do
not eat any on a daily basis. With little variation between ages,
12-17 year old boys were most likely to eat no fruit and vegetables,
while 5-11 year old boys eat the most fruit or vegetables.
- Children
from non-manual households were most likely to eat the daily recommended
five portions of fruit and vegetables, with those from manual households
more than twice as likely to eat less than one portion per day.
- 52%
of the children eat bread more than once per day and 36% once per
day. 47% of children form non-manual households and 56% of children
from manual households eat bread more than once per day.
- Breakfast
cereal is eaten on a daily basis by 71% of the sample, and most days
by a further 11%. More boys than girls eat breakfast cereal at least
once a day, and more girls eat cereal less frequently than once a
week or never. Older children eat breakfast cereal less frequently
than those in the 5 -11 year age group. Girls in the 12-17 year old
group were least likely to eat cereal every day.
- More
children from non-manual households (74%) than manual households (68%)
eat breakfast cereals at least once per day.
- 39%
of the sample eat potatoes every day; 40% on most days. 12-17 year
old boys eat potatoes most frequently; older girls eat potatoes least
often. Children from non-manual households (81%) eat potatoes more
frequently than those from manual households (75%).
- Only
17% of the sample eats rice or pasta most days/daily, and a third
less often than once a week or never. The most frequent consumers
of these were 12-17 year old girls, and the least frequent were 5-11
year old boys. Children from the non-manual group were more frequent
consumers of rice and pasta.
- A quarter
of all children eat red meat most days. Boys eat it more frequently
than girls; older boys eat it more frequently than younger boys; and
younger girls eat it more frequently than older girls.
- Just
over a quarter eat white meat most days; the majority (66%) once or
twice per week. Younger children eat it less frequently than older
children; and children from non-manual households more frequently
than those from manual households.
- Around
41% of children have fried, battered or breadcrumbed fish once or
twice a week; 68% of children eat it less than once a week or never.
- Around
18% of children eat meat products on most days or daily, with girls
less likely to eat these regularly. Boys in the 12-17 year group and
children from manual households are the most frequent consumers of
these products.
- Almost
half of the sample drinks semi-skimmed milk. Older girls are five
times more likely not to use any milk. More children from manual than
non-manual households use whole milk, while more children from non-manual
households use semi-skimmed.
- Overall,
18% of children eat chips most days or often, and 66% once or twice
per week. Older children, and those from manual households, eat chips
more frequently than their opposite groups.
- 96%
of children eat other fried foods once or twice per week or less.
Older boys eat other fired foods more frequently than younger boys.
- 73%
of children eat biscuits every day; 33% eat them more than once per
day. A slightly higher proportion of children from manual households
eat biscuits more than once per day.
- 47%
of all children have confectionary at least once a day. Boys in the
12-17 year age group, and those in manual households, are the most
frequent consumers of confectionary.
- 14%
of children eat cakes and buns every day, the most frequent consumers
being older boys and those from non-manual households.
- 38%
of children drink fizzy drinks or squashes containing sugar every
day and 12% more than once per day. Boys drink them more often than
girls; older children more often than younger children, and those
from manual households more than non-manual households.
- Fewer
children drink sugar-free drinks. Girls tend to drink sugar free drinks
more than boys; and younger children more than older children.
- 52%
of children eat savoury snacks, with the most marked finding being
that 12% of children from manual households compared to 5% from non-manual
households eat these more than once per day.
Conclusions
- Various
concerns are raised about the dietary habits of children and young
people. The low fruit and vegetable consumption, high snack consumption
and high fizzy drink and squash consumption, across all ages, sex
and socioeconomic groups, are particularly worrying.
- The
results show clear differences between various age, gender and socioeconomic
groups, with the implications of these findings discussed in relation
to negative outcomes of such dietary behaviour. In particular, children
from manual households are noted as appearing to have a much poorer
diet, which has been the case in other such research. The groups identified
as most at risk require particular attention to help them achieve
a diet to protect rather than jeopardise their health.
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