Objective To understand the dietary behavior of children aged 3-6 years old and the relevant family factors to provide scientific basis for developing effective intervention programs.
Methods A total of 254 parents of kindergarten children in Minhang district were selected by random cluster sampling, and the information of dietary behavior issues and influencing factors was collected through questionnaire, with 248 questionnaires available.
Results According to the questionnaire, 36.3% of the children (90/248) rendered problematic dietary habits, 4.8% of them (12/248) did not have breakfast every morning, and the top three unhealthy dietary habits were eating snacks (76.6%), being half-hearted during meals (62.1%), and picky eating (48.0%). In addition, 38.7% of them (96/248) took breakfast in poor quality. They mostly consumed traditional cereals for break fast instead of food with high quality protein. There was a significant positive correlation between children's dietary habits and parents'(r=0.262, r=0.309; P<0.01).
Conclusion Among the children aged 3-6 years old in this community, the overall quality of breakfast was not high, and more than 1/3 of them rendered unhealthy eating habits. The direct factor influencing children's dietary habits is derived from their parents, so the education of dietary behavior delivered to parents is critical and need to be strengthened.
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