Prevalence of nutrition risk and associated risk factors among New Zealand pre‐school children

AIM: To determine the prevalence of nutrition risk using the validated, Nutrition Screening Tool for Every Pre‐schooler (NutriSTEP) among pre‐school children in New Zealand (NZ) and to identify socio‐demographic factors associated with nutrition risk. METHODS: Parents/caregivers of NZ pre‐school children (aged 2–5 years) completed an online survey including NutriSTEP, both parent and child height and weight, as well as socio‐demographic characteristics. The 17‐item NutriSTEP responses were scored between 0 and 4; where item scores ≥2 indicate risk, and the maximum score is 68. Participants were stratified into low‐risk (score ≤ 20) and moderate to high‐risk (score > 20) groups. Strength of associations between nutrition risk and socio‐demographic characteristics were explored using binary regression analysis. RESULTS: Of 505 pre‐school children, 96 (19%) were at moderate to high risk (median interquartile range NutriSTEP score 24 [22–26]) and 409 (81%) were at low risk (score 13 [10–16]). Pre‐school children at highest risk were non‐NZ European (P = 0.002), with solo parents (P = 0.002), from households with incomes ≤$50 000 (P ≤ 0.021) and with non‐university educated parents (P ≤ 0.0001). More than 30% of pre‐schoolers were at high risk for inadequate consumption of fruit, vegetables, grains, milk products, meat and meat alternatives, as well as exposure to screens during meals and overuse of supplements. CONCLUSIONS: A fifth of NZ pre‐school children were at moderate to high nutrition risk and may not have met the nutrition guidelines. Economic and ethnic disparities were apparent. Using NutriSTEP may assist to identify NZ pre‐school children at highest nutrition risk who may benefit from appropriate nutrition support.