According to various studies, children aged 6-12 years, (i.e. primary school students) show bad eating habits and an unbalanced diet, factors that predispose short-term or long-term to the appearance of health problems. This report highlights the importance of adopting healthy eating habits and dietary choices from the earliest years of life.
There are many reasons why health education programs should focus on children's nutrition, and the most obvious reasons relate to the effects of childhood eating habits in later adulthood.
Nutritional parameters established during childhood are often maintained into adolescence or adulthood. A study of more than 300 boys and girls in grades 3 through 6 showed "anxiety" among these children about diet and body standards. A total of 45% of the children expressed a desire to be thinner and 37% of the children had already tried to reduce their weight.
In another study of 457 4th grade children, 40% of children reported dieting occasionally or very often.
Indeed, the fear of becoming overweight or obese can be expressed even at the age of 5 years, which is an indication that the mental and physiological background of eating disorders is established during childhood and these disorders become more evident during adolescence. The conditions of unhealthy eating and eating disorders.
As one author points out, the low-calorie and low-fat diets that are particularly popular among "dieters"—and which are often designed to restrict staple foods such as dairy products, meat, and eggs—are generally deficient in essential nutrients. for long-term growth and health. Unbalanced nutrition with these diets is associated with a reduced intake of zinc and iron but also a reduced intake of other necessary minerals such as copper and magnesium. To get the necessary amounts of calories and trace elements without dairy products, meat and eggs, large amounts of grains and cereals must be consumed.
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