Every day, one makes several decisions about food and nutrition, which are influenced by various personal, social, cultural, environmental, temporal and economic factors. What we eat and how much we eat affects how we feel, therefore a healthy and balanced diet is essential for a healthy and optimal development of a child. In order to understand what, how, when, how much and with whom children eat, it is necessary to know their eating behavior. The purpose of the master's thesis was to study the eating behavior of primary school children and to determine the connection between them and their attitude towards a healthy diet. We found out how family dietary patterns, school and peers are related to the formation of children's eating behavior and whether age and gender have any effect on that. We used a descriptive research method and a quantitative research approach in the research. The sample included 230 sixth- and ninth graders from primary schools in Slovenia, of which 102 were boys and 128 were girls. We used an online survey to collect data.
Based on our own criteria for a healthy diet, which included recommendations for the consumption of individual food groups (vegetables, fruits, milk and dairy products, meat, fish, fried foods, sweet foods, sugary drinks and water) and daily meals (breakfast, morning snack, lunch, afternoon snack and dinner) we found out that children have a less healthy diet. Pupils do not eat healthy, mainly due to excessive consumption of sugar and sweet foods, insufficient consumption of meat, meat products and fish, and because they skip morning and afternoon snacks. Boys meet a higher number of criteria for a healthy diet than girls, mainly due to the insufficient consumption of protein foods (meat, meat products and fish) among girls. Meeting the criteria for a healthy diet differs between the sexes. Girls meet the criteria for eating vegetables, fruits, milk and dairy products, fried foods, sweet foods and snacks than boys and boys meet the criteria for eating meat, fish, water and all major daily meals (breakfast, lunch and dinner) better than girls. In a group of students with a healthier diet, we found out that boys gain more information about healthy eating from their peers than girls. However, there is no statistically significant difference in the group with a less healthy diet. Students with a less healthy and students with a healthier diet believe that a proper and healthy diet plays an important role in their health. We also determined that a student’s eating behavior regarding fat intake is related to family dietary patterns. Older students estimate that they gain little information about healthy eating at school, while younger students estimate that they gain a lot of information about healthy eating at school.
We believe that it would be necessary to improve the way children eat and encourage them to choose healthy foods. Parents, educators, teachers and other professionals involved in education should be informed about advice on refusing food to children, eliminating pickiness and promoting and strengthening healthy eating habits among children.
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