Picky eating behavior and its association with health status among school-age children in Wuhan / 中国学校卫生

ABSTRACT

Objective@#To investigate the picky eating behavior among school-age children and to analyze its association with their health status, providing scientific basis for health promotion of school-age children in China.@*Methods@#A total of 796 students of grade 3 to grade 6 from two primary schools in Hongshan, Wuhan were selected through cluster sampling. Statistical analysis was conducted according to the results of the 3-day food record and questionnaire survey on children and their caregivers.@*Results@#In the current study, 40.58% of the children had picky eating problems, the incidence of picky eating behaviors of migrant children was higher than that of local children(χ2=3.92, P<0.05). Most of the picky eaters(23.87%) tended to reject vegetables. Compared to the others, picky eaters had lower intake of vitamin B 2 [(0.49±0.01)(0.46±0.01)mg] and vitamin C [(57.35±0.76)(54.32±0.90)mg] (t=2.03, 2.57, P<0.05) and had a higher risk of stunting(OR=1.42, P<0.05).@*Conclusion@#Picky eating behaviors are common among school-age children, which is significantly associated with stunting. Nutritional education for children (especially migrant children) are urgently needed to improve their dietary structure and promote healthy growth and development.