The Diet Structure and Body Mass Index Among Polish Preschool Children in Relation To Their Place of Residence

INTRODUCTION AND AIM: Proper nutritional status in early childhood makes it possible for children to achieve their genetically-determined growth potential and intelligence. A child’s nutritional status is due to economic, cultural, psychosocial and geographic factors. The present study aims to check whether the nutritional status of preschoolers differs depending on their place of residence. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In order to achieve this goal we used 24-h dietary recalls to assess the children’s diet based on interviews with 530 mothers of preschool children from five different regions of Poland. Moreover, the children’s BMIs were calculated. RESULTS: We found differences in the level of anthropometric indicators, diet structure and what percentage of the estimated average requirement for energy was met depending on the region where the children live. Youngsters from the western region of Poland had significantly higher BMIs than those from other regions. What is more, the percentage of meeting the estimated average requirement for energy and the percentage of calories from carbohydrates was higher among children from the western region, as compared with preschoolers from other areas of the country. The amount of fats and protein in the diet of children from western Poland, in turn, was significantly lower as compared with the diet of their peers from other regions. CONCLUSIONS: The present study provides evidence that the nutritional status of children should be analyzed in the context of their place of residence. Thus, the differences between regions and their impact on the health status of their inhabitants should be taken into account when designing preventive or corrective measures.