Too little fish, vegetables and dietary fibre, and a growing trend to choose white bread and fast food over healthier rye bread sandwiches – these are the findings of a new survey on dietary habits of Danish children and youth that the National Food Institute, Technical University of Denmark has prepared for the Danish Veterinary and Food Administration. The survey report can be used as a reference work for academics and as a proposal for determining ways to ensure that the dietary habits of children in general move closer to food-based dietary guidelines for a healthy diet.
The familiar packed lunch is still the preferred choice of most Danish schoolchildren. On average, 75% of the 7-10 year olds eat rye bread sandwiches, while 50% of the 11-14 year olds eat rye bread sandwiches for lunch on school days. These are the findings of a new survey on the dietary habits of children and youth during the period 2005-2008 from the National Food Institute.
Schoolchildren replace rye bread sandwiches with fast food
Lunch typically consists of rye bread with cold meats, fruit and/or vegetables. Children drink water and milk with their lunch. But as early as the age of seven, some children begin replacing rye bread sandwiches with fast food such as pizza and sandwiches based on wheat bread. A quarter of the oldest schoolchildren eat fast food as rye bread sandwiches for lunch on school days.
The survey shows that there is room for improving the lunches of Danish schoolchildren. Measured against the Danish Veterinary and Food Administration's recommendations, Danish schoolchildren's lunches contain too little fish, vegetables and dietary fibre. Particularly the older children eat less rye bread, fish, fruit and vegetables, opting instead for more white bread, fast food than the youngest school-children. Similarly, the older children more often replace water and milk with juice or lemonade.
Measures are therefore needed to encourage greater numbers of children to eat more fish, vegetables and fruit and continue eating rye bread and drinking milk and water with their lunch.
The survey also shows that the diet of children and youth in general contains too much fat and sugar and not enough dietary fibre in relation to the Danish Veterinary and Food Administration's recommendations for a healthy diet.
Furthermore, results show that especially older schoolchildren skip lunch from time to time. 18% of schoolchildren above the age of 10 skip their lunch minimum two times a week.
Reference work for dietitians
Generally speaking, diet survey data are used to document initiatives that promote the nutritional health of the population, and knowledge about the individual meals may provide background information for projects focusing on single meals in day care centres, schools and after-school care.
The survey report describes the dietary habits of Danish children and youth across the meals and contains numerous tables on meal patterns, energy intake and nutrients across the day's meals. It can therefore act as a reference work for academics and offer insight into how the dietary habits of children and youth can be improved.
The survey is one of many recent surveys focusing on the dietary habits of Danes which will be published in the coming months. The National Food Institute is also currently gathering new data on the dietary habits of Danes.
Read more
See the report: Dietary habits of children and youth 2005-2008 (PDF, only in Danish).
Data are based on the Danish National Survey of Dietary Habits and Physical Activity from National Food Institute from 2005-2008.
The survey describes the dietary habits of children and youth in relation to daily meals. 682 children and youth aged between 4 and 19 participated in the survey. The participants recorded what they ate and drank over the course of a week.
The survey contains data on meal patterns, energy intake, macronutrients spread across three main meals, and as something entirely new in relation to the latest report from 2002-04, the meals are divided into three categories morning, afternoon and late evening. In addition to average figures, another new feature of the survey is that it contains other data enabling experts to assess the distribution of intake. Figures for weekdays and weekends and how often children and youth eat outside the home are also included in the survey.
See also the press release from the Danish Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Fisheries: Tweens skip lunch (only in Danish)
Contact
Academic officer, Lene Møller Christensen, lmch@food.dtu.dk, tel.: +45 35 88 75 11
Senior adviser, Sisse Fagt, sisfa@food.dtu.dk, tel.: + 45 35 88 74 22