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This thesis examines the protein content of nursery school lunches and "second" servings when a multi-purpose food is used as a substitute or as a supplement.

Thesis--PlanA (M.S.)--University of Wisconsin--Stout, 2002. / Includes bibliographical references.

The problem of this study is to show the calcium, phosphorus, and protein content of nursery school lunches. Many studies have been made of the calcium and protein requirements of preschool children. Fewer studies have been made of the phosphorus requirements of normal preschool children.

It is believed that one of the best ways to study the personality adequacy of children is through their behavior in situations. / Master of Science

Submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree Master of Applied Science in Food and Nutrition, Durban University of Technology, 2015. / Introduction: According to the American Dietetic Association, Child care facilities (CCFs) play an essential role in the nutritional status of children as children typically spend 4-8 hours a day at a facility. As a result, the meals should provide at least 50 – 60% of daily nutritional requirements. Worldwide CCF feeding has been found to be nutritionally inadequate as energy and most micronutrient requirements are not met by the meals provided, due to the lack of nutrition knowledge of the caregivers. Studies have shown that with appropriate training there has been improvement in nutritional standards. Aim: The aim of this study was to analyse the nutritional adequacy of menus offered; and to determine the nutritional status of children aged two to five years old in registered child care facilities in the Inanda area. Methodology: CCFs (n=10) in the Inanda area were randomly selected from multiple options to participate in the study. This study was conducted on children (boys (n= 91) and girls (n=109)) of ages two to five years old. Trained fieldworkers and teachers assisted in interviewing parents to complete the socio-demographic questionnaire. The researcher gathered menus and recipes for analysis, using Foodfinder Version 3 Software. The researcher also conducted plate-waste studies to determine consumption patterns during CCF meal times. Anthropometric measurements for weight and height were collected. In order to establish BMI-for-age and height-for-age, the WHO Anthro Software and WHO AnthroPlus Software were used. Ten food handlers (FHs) were interviewed by the researcher on food preparation and serving. Results: Most children (79.40%) originate from extended families that are female-headed. The highest form of education attained by most caregivers in the sample is standard 10 (47.74%) and 45.73% are unemployed. Of the 54.27% employed, 64.71% are informally employed. Most respondents (72.87%) are living on a total household income of less than R2500. The anthropometric results of the children show very low prevalence of severe stunting (1.74%) and stunting (5.42%). Less than halve (34.48%) of the children were at a possible risk of being overweight, 13.79% were overweight and 2.46% obese. The top 20 foods served in CCFs in Inanda were cereal-based staples of rice and maize meal more frequently than meat, dairy products and fruit and vegetables – all served far less frequently. All the CCFs did not meet the 60% of daily requirements for energy, fibre, calcium and vitamin C in foods served. The CCFs have well-equipped, designated kitchens for food storage, preparation, serving and good hygiene practices. Conclusion: Meals served to two to five year olds in registered CCFs in the Inanda area are nutritionally inadequate as most facilities do not contain 60% of the daily nutrient requirements from both daily meals served. Recommendations: CCF owners and Food handlers should receive proper training and retraining on food safety and hygiene and menu planning. The government should increase the subsidy to CCFs in order to meet the nutritional needs of children in order to aid in the alleviation of under-nutrition.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of parent education on increasing parental awareness of vegetable servings needed by preschool children, lowering barriers to increase vegetable consumption in their children's diets, increasing confidence in their ability to increase vegetables in their children's meals, and promoting parent-child interaction to increase vegetable consumption by preschool children. The study was conducted with parents enrolled in the Kid-co Head Start program in Albany and Corvallis. The study protocol consisted of an experimental (n=10 parents) and control (n=4 parents) group. Parents in the experimental group attended a family night event about vegetables on February 13th of 2003. This event was followed by an in-school activity and a delivery of reinforcement material about vegetables, one week after family night event took place. Parents in the control group attended a family night event about healthy snacking on February 13th of 2003. Parents from both groups participated in a follow-up phone interview. A high proportion of participants (75%) of the control group were Hispanics. In the experimental group, 70% were whites and 30% were Hispanics. Levels of education of participants of both groups ranged from 6 years of school up to college degrees. Findings revealed vegetable availability in participants' homes. Fresh vegetable availability in control and experimental group combined ranged from 2 to 7 types of vegetables, before the intervention, and 2 to 5 types after the intervention. Seventy one percent of participants of combined experimental and control groups had frozen vegetables and 85.7% had canned vegetables (before and after the intervention). Daily vegetable consumption was reported by 64.3% of the parents from both experimental and control groups combined. A high proportion of parents (71.4%) from combined experimental and control groups reported that their children eat vegetables every day. Dinner, lunch and snacks are meals in which children eat most vegetables. No significant difference was found about parents' awareness of the daily recommended number of vegetable servings needed by young children between experimental and control group. Similarly, no significant difference was found in experimental group responses before and after the intervention. Findings before the intervention indicate that 50% of participants in the experimental group didn't know the recommendation needed by young children. After the intervention 10% of participants responded that they didn't know the recommendation. No significant difference was found about parents' confidence in their ability to increase vegetables in their children's diets between control and experimental groups responses (before and after the intervention). Similarly, no significant difference was found in experimental group responses before and after the intervention. However, high levels of confidence were reported in both groups. Before the intervention, 75% and 50% of parents in the control and experimental group respectively, reported they felt "very confident." After the intervention, 75% and 40% of parents in the control and experimental group respectively, reported they still felt "very confident." Before the intervention most participants in both groups reported they have barriers to increase the amount of vegetables in their children's diets at least sometimes. The barrier "My child doesn't like vegetables" was reported by 60% of parents in the experimental group and by 100% in the control group, at least sometimes. "Too much time to prepare vegetables" was reported by 25% and 10% of participants in the control and experimental group, respectively. Fifty percent of parents in the control group indicated they have lack of preparation skills, while only 10% of parents in the experimental group reported the same barrier. None of participants in the control group considered "cost of vegetables" a barrier. However, 50% in the experimental group reported the barrier "cost of vegetables." I can't get satisfactory vegetables" was reported by 25% and by 40% of participants in the control and experimental group, respectively. After the intervention, 25% and 30% of parents in the control and experimental group reported that "Nothing" is consider a barrier. However, "My child doesn't like vegetables" was a barrier for 50% of parents in the control group and 10% in the experimental group. Not enough time and energy to cook were barriers reported by 30% and 20% of participants in the experimental group only. Lack of preparation skills was reported by 25% of participants in the control group and by 10% in the experimental group. Only 20% of parents in the experimental group tried the vegetable recipes provided in the handouts. However, 90% of parents in the experimental group reported they tried to give more vegetables to their child since the family event. Ninety percent of parents reported preparing vegetables with their children. Letting their children choose a vegetable in the store was another parent-child interaction activity practiced by 60% of parents from the experimental group. All parents from the experimental group agreed that our educational material helped them to interact with their children. Ninety percent of parents agreed it helped to save money and 70% agreed it helped to prepare more vegetables for their child. Forty percent of parents reported that their child ate more vegetables after the family event. / Graduation date: 2004

The relationship of meal planners' nutrition attitudes and knowledge to their fat and fiber intakes and to the intakes of 2-5 year-old children in their households were examined using data from USDA's 1989-91 Continuing Survey of Food Intakes by Individuals (CSFII) and corresponding Diet and Health Knowledge Survey (DHKS). Selected households (N=478) provided 24-hour diet recalls. Data on meal planners' attitudes and knowledge were used to create variables that represented the constructs of a modified Health Belief Model. The relationships of these variables to the percent of calories from fat and to fiber density of foods consumed at home and of total food consumed by meal planners and children were analyzed using multiple regression. Several of the attitude-knowledge variables were significantly related to meal planners' fat and fiber intakes. The variables did not have a significantly different relationship with children's intakes, except for taste which was inversely related to children's fiber intakes. Although the relationship of meal planners' attitudes and knowledge was not significantly different with children's intakes than with meal planners' intakes, the constructs were not significantly related either, except for knowledge which was significantly related to less at-home fat consumption by children. Results indicate weak support for the gatekeeper theory; meal planners' nutrition knowledge and attitudes appear more operational in their diets than in the diets of their young children. / Master of Science

In this investigation the seric retinol levels were determined in order to relate them with consumed diets by preschool- and school-aged children and the prevalence of anemia in the communities of Cuambo and La Rinconada, Imbabura province, in order to later compare them with reference values. Blood samples were taken from 74 children from the two communities, 30 in La Rinconada and 44 in Cuambo, beneficiaries of the Benson Institute, to determine retinol, ferritin, hemoglobin, and hematocrit. Also, a 24-hour record with frequency of food consumption survey was given to the studied children's parents, making a sample of 56 families. Among the principal results we can determine that the inhabitants of the two communities have a low consumption of foods rich in Vitamin A compared to recommendations, despite having family gardens that include a large quantity of foods rich in this micronutrient.

Submitted in fulfillment of the requirements of the Masters of Applied Science in Food and Nutrition, Durban University of Technology, 2015. / AIM: The aim of the study was to identify the need, develop, implement and determine the effect of a Grade R Nutrition Education Programme (NEP) in order to make recommendations to the South African Department of Basic Education (DBE) to include an effective NEP in the pre-primary school education curriculum. OBJECTIVES: The objectives for this study is in two phases, The objective of the baseline study was to assess the need for nutrition education (NE) in Grade R in suburban areas of Durban and identify the most suitable nutrition education tools (NETs) for this age group. For the intervention study the objectives were 1) to develop a nutrition knowledge questionnaire (NKQ) to determine the existing nutrition knowledge of Grade R learners in suburban government and private schools in Durban, 2) to develop a nutrition education programme (NEP) for Grade R based on the South African Food-Based Dietary Guidelines (FBDGs) and the food groups, 3) to implement the NEP in Grade R in a government and private school, 4) to determine the effect of the NEP on the retention of FBDGs (Section one) and food group (Section two) knowledge, and 5) to compare the results between the control group (CG) and the government (EGG) and private (EPG) experimental school groups, and between genders. METHODS: A self-administered nutrition education needs questionnaire was completed by 20 Grade R teachers in Durban suburban schools. Nutrition education material was identified based on the results from the pilot study and a Nutrition education programme developed. The classroom-based intervention study involved 120 Grade R learners in three schools, two experimental schools: government (n=37) and private (n=40), with a control school (n=43), with 35 percent (n= 42) male and 65 percent (n=78) female participants, ranging in age from five to seven years. A validated questionnaire assessed baseline nutrition knowledge of these children. A qualified foundation phase teacher was trained to implement the NEP. The experimental school groups received eight one hour nutrition education (NE) lessons over an eight week period; the control group did not receive any NE. During the lesson firstly theory was covered then the children worked on the related fun activities in the Healthy Eating Activity Book (HEAB) and lastly involved in the nutrition educational games. These included a food group plate puzzles, a NEP board game, a card game and ‘My little story books’. A post-test determined the impact of the intervention. RESULTS: The baseline study confirmed the need for NE in Grade R and identified suitable NETs that were used in the intervention. At pre-test, the nutrition knowledge of Grade R children in the two experimental groups (EG) and one CG was very similar with knowledge of FBDGs greater than knowledge relating to the food groups. Both Grade R EGs showed a significant increase in knowledge for the whole test immediately after the intervention with the CG, achieving similar post-to pre-test results. The intervention had a significant impact on nutrition knowledge of Grade R children in both experimental schools (EGG p=0.004 and EPG p=0.001). The EPG were most knowledgeable regarding FBDGs with no significant difference in knowledge of the EGG. Food group knowledge in all schools was poor at baseline and the NEP resulted in the EGG obtaining the highest post-test results. Post-intervention for the whole test the EGG were marginally (0.80 percent) more knowledgeable than the EPG. The knowledge of boys and girls were very similar in pre-and post-test results. However, the boys were fractionally more knowledgeable than the girls in relation to the whole post-test. In Section two, relating to food group knowledge, girls were slightly more knowledgeable than boys although both genders lacked knowledge in relation to which foods belonged to a particular food group. CONCLUSION: The primary aim of formal NE was met as the statistical significance between the CG and experimental group post-test results was evident in the majority of Section one questions and in all questions in Section two. The NEP resulted in similar increase in knowledge of Grade R learners in the government and private experimental school groups in Durban. In addition, the boys and girls showed a minimal difference in nutrition knowledge.