See discussions, stats, and author profiles for this publication at: https://www.researchgate.

net/publication/312930829

A study of the dietary habits of school children in Pune city, Maharashtra,

India

Article  in  International Journal of Community Medicine and Public Health · February 2017

DOI: 10.18203/2394-6040.ijcmph20170296

CITATIONS READS

2 7,428

2 authors:

Reema Mukherjee Sanjay Chaturvedi

Armed Forces Medical College Government of India
14 PUBLICATIONS   58 CITATIONS    5 PUBLICATIONS   111 CITATIONS   

SEE PROFILE SEE PROFILE

Some of the authors of this publication are also working on these related projects:

HIV AIDS View project

All content following this page was uploaded by Sanjay Chaturvedi on 30 January 2017.

The user has requested enhancement of the downloaded file.

International Journal of Community Medicine and Public Health
Mukherjee R et al. Int J Community Med Public Health. 2017 Feb;4(2):593-597
http://www.ijcmph.com pISSN 2394-6032 | eISSN 2394-6040

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.18203/2394-6040.ijcmph20170296
Original Research Article

A study of the dietary habits of school children in Pune city,

Maharashtra, India
Reema Mukherjee1*, Sanjay Chaturvedi2

1
Department of Community Medicine, Army College of Medical Sciences, Delhi Cantt, India
2
Department of Community Medicine, Armed Forces Medical College, Pune, Maharashtra, India

Received: 01 November 2016

Revised: 29 December 2016
Accepted: 10 January 2017

*Correspondence:
Dr. Reema Mukherjee,
E-mail: [email protected]

Copyright: © the author(s), publisher and licensee Medip Academy. This is an open-access article distributed under
the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License, which permits unrestricted non-commercial
use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

ABSTRACT

Background: Diet and nutrition of children influence their current health status and scholastic performance and also
have long term consequences reaching well into their adulthood. Further, diet preferences and practices acquired
during childhood usually persist for life. Data on nutritional intake of school children is required by public health
policy makers to be able to formulate nutritional intervention and also for nutritionists and general practioners to be
able to advice parents and care givers regarding the inadequacies in the diet. This study was carried out in Pune city,
to study the dietary patterns and preferences of school children in the age group five to eleven years.
Methods: Qualitative diet survey was carried out by oral questionnaire method. The data collected was on the food
habits, frequency of various types of food eaten and the preferences/dislike to various food items. A database was
created in MS Excel and Epi Info was used to analyze data. Appropriate inferential and descriptive statistics were
calculated.
Results: Around 50% of the children were non-vegetarians and only around 6% were vegetarians. Around 70% of
children consumed milk daily though a majority insisted that milk is their least preferred food item. Only 5% children
consumed green leafy vegetables daily. A majority of children consumed fruits two to six times. Snacks, fast food and
processed food were the most preferred food by the children.
Conclusions: Food habits acquired during childhood persist into adulthood and form the basis of either good health
or ill health, as the case may be, in the coming years. Hence there is a need to educate parents, especially in the
middle and higher socioeconomic groups regarding correct dietary habits for the children to ensure that they can live
healthy and productive lives as adults.

Keywords: Dietary intake, Developing countries, Dietary preferences, School children

INTRODUCTION continue into adulthood.2 The school going ages form the
foundation of future life in terms of physical, emotional
School-age children constitute a little less than one and mental aspects and strongly influence the child’s
quarter of the world’s population, and around three health in her/his adult life.3,4 Adequate and appropriate
quarters of these children live in developing countries.1 A dietary intake is essential in these ages for inculcating
child’s dietary habits acquired early in childhood healthy eating habits so as to provide nutrients not just for
the immediate growth, development and scholastic

International Journal of Community Medicine and Public Health | February 2017 | Vol 4 | Issue 2 Page 593
 Mukherjee R et al. Int J Community Med Public Health. 2017 Feb;4(2):593-597

performance but also for long-term health. The health, these three sections were selected into the study. A total
physical growth, development and educational of 760 children were finally included in the study.
performance of schoolchildren depend largely on good Qualitative dietary assessment was carried out for the
nutrition. Dietary choices made by the children and their same sample.
families’ influence their health and may contribute
towards both malnutrition and ‘over nutrition’. The Data collection and informed consent
dietary habits of individuals /families /communities vary
according to socioeconomic factors, regional customs, Qualitative diet survey was carried out by oral
traditions, seasonal availability of food items etc. While questionnaire method. The questionnaires were
there are various methods of qualitative and quantitative distributed to all parents, after taking their consent and
diet surveys, finding a suitable method of assessing explaining to them the purpose of the study. The method
dietary intake for the population under study poses, at of filling the questionnaire was explained in detail and
times several problems.5 Dietary assessment of parents were assured about confidentiality of the
schoolchildren may be difficult as children due to limited contents. The data collected was on the food habits,
attention span and issues of recall and cognitive abilities frequency of various types of food eaten and the
for self reporting may not be able to provide accurate preferences/dislike to various food items.The dietary
responses. Hence researchers usually have to rely on patterns were stratified into three groups of vegetarians,
collecting information from the parents or caregivers and non-vegetarians and egg vegetarians on the basis of
while this seems to be a satisfactory alternative when the animal food intake (red meat/poultry/fish/egg).
population of interest is smaller children, however Vegetarians did not consume any animal food in their
parents may at times be unaware what older children diet ever. The non-vegetarians consumed all forms of
consume when away from home.6 Qualitative diet animal food and the egg vegetarians did not consume any
surveys can be used to gain qualitative details of diet and animal food except for egg. Milk was not considered an
for studying the patterns of food consumption, food animal food for the purpose of this study.
likes/dislikes etc at a household level. This method has
been used to study meal patterns, dietary habits, Data entry and analysis
preferences and avoidances and weaning and infant
feeding practices.5 This study was carried out to The quantitative data was collected from this self-
determine the dietary preferences and patterns of school administered questionnaire were entered and analyzed
children in a city of Pune. using Epi Info (version 6.04d) software.7 The data was
cleaned, checked for discrepancies, and rectified where
METHODS necessary.

Place of study RESULTS

A cross sectional study was carried out in a co- Table 1 shows the baseline characteristics of the children
educational school in Pune Cantt, with classes from included in the study. Out of the 760 children studied,
nursery to class XII with a total strength of around 2100 359(47.23%) were females and 401 (52.77%) were
children. Each class had five sections and children were males. The mean weight of boys was 25.1 kg (SD= 2.66)
randomly allocated to different sections irrespective of and the mean weight of the girls was 25.63 kg; (SD
sex, socioeconomic status or academic performance. The =3.80), however this difference was not found to be
study was carried out on children in the age group of 5 – significant (t=2.2 p=0.98). The children were
11 years in class I to VI from July 2013 to Oct 2013. homogeneously distributed with respect to mother’s
Admission to the school was only open to children of education status. 262 children (34.49%) had mothers who
central government employees. were graduates and beyond, while 59 (7.76%) of the
mothers were educated till primary, none of the mothers
Sample were illiterate. The children were homogeneously
distributed with respect to the family size. Majority of
This study was part of a larger study wherein the children, 159 (70.26%) were living in families which had
nutritional status of school children was being assessed. 4 to 5 members. The children were homogeneously
Sample size was calculated for determining malnutrition distributed with respect to socioeconomic status, as the
amongst school children and in order to include the school was catering only to children of central
largest possible sample the proportion of malnutrition government employees hence social and economic
was presumed to be 50%. Sample size was calculated conditions of the families was comparable.
taking alpha error as 5%, p = 0.5, expected deviation as
4%. As per above assumptions the sample size calculated Table 2 shows the food habits of the children.
was 600. As per school records ,there were 1200 children 421(55.40%) of the children were non vegetarians while
in the age group of five to eleven years. These were least number of children (6.71%) were pure vegetarians.
predominantly children in classes I to VI. Three sections
were chosen randomly for each class and all children in

International Journal of Community Medicine and Public Health | February 2017 | Vol 4 | Issue 2 Page 594
 Mukherjee R et al. Int J Community Med Public Health. 2017 Feb;4(2):593-597

Table 3 shows the frequency of consumption of the educational status of mother or smaller family size was
different food items. Majority of girls (70.40%) and boys not significantly associated with greater frequency of
(71.07%) consumed milk and dairy products daily. consumption of any particular food item (not in table).
However green leafy vegetables were consumed by most
of the children only once a week (51.53% girls and Table 4 and 5 show the most and least preferred food
54.11% boys). Fruits were consumed by most of the items. Though most of the children consumed milk and
children two to six times a week (59.88% girls and dairy products daily, it was ranked as the least preferred
63.84% boys). Among those consuming non vegetarian item. Snacks and fast food was the most preferred food
diet, the majority consumed it once a week. Higher item.

Table 1: Baseline characteristics of the children.

Characteristics Girls Boys Total

Total sample 359 (47.23%) 401 (52.77%) 760 (100%)
Mean weight kg (SD) 25.63(3.80) 25.1(2.66)
Mothers education status Girls Boys
Primary 27 (7.52%) 32 (7.78%) 59 (7.76%)
Middle School 43 (11.97%) 53 (13.21) 96 (12.63%)
High School 88 (24.51%) 92 (22.94%) 180 (23.68%)
Intermediate 72 (20.05%) 91 (22.69%) 163 (21.44%) Chi-square=1.51,
Graduation and beyond 129 (35.95%) 133 (33.18%) 262 (34.49%) df=4; p>0.05
Total 359 (100%) 401 (100%) 760 (100)
Family Size (members) Girls Boys
3 70 (19.49%) 89 (22.19%) 159 (20.92%)
Chi-square=14.29;
4-5 265 (73.83%) 269 (67.09%) 534 (70.25%)
df=2; p=0.067
>5 24 (6.68%) 43 (10.72%) 67 (8.82%)
Total 359 (100%) 401 (100%) 760 (100)

Table 2: Distribution of children according to dietary patterns

Food Habit Girls Boys Total

Vegetarians 21 (5.85%) 30 (7.48%) 51 (6.71%)
Egg vegetarians 138 (38.44%) 150 (37.41%) 288 (37.89%) Chi-square =0.8;
Non vegetarians 200 (55.71%) 221 (55.11%) 421 (55.40%) df=2; p=0.66
Total 359 (100%) 401 (100%) 760 (100%)

Table 3: Distribution of children according to variety and frequency of foods eaten.

Freq
Fruits Green Leafy vegetables Milk and Dairy Products Fish and Meat products
uency
Girls Boys Total Girls Boys Total Girls Boys Total Girls Boys Total
20 16 36 10 16 26
Rare 0 0 0 0 0 0
(5.59%) (3.99%) (4.73%) (5%) (7.23%) (6.17%)
once
47 25 72 185 217 402 10 14 86 96 182
a 4(1.11%)
(13.09%) (6.23%) (9.47%) (51.53%) (54.11%) (52.89%) (2.49%) (1.84%) (43.0%) (43.43%) (43.23%)
week
2-6
215 256 471 132 150 282 30 21 51 64 72 136
times a
(59.88%) (63.84%) (61.97%) (36.76%) (37.40%) (37.10%) (8.35%) (5.23%) (6.71%) (32%) (32.58%) (32.30%)
week
82 100 182 22 18 40 253 285 538 32 25 57
Daily
(22.84%) (24.93%) (23.94%) (6.12%) (4.5%) (5.26%) (70.40%) (71.07%) (70.78%) (16%) (11.31%) (13.59%)
2-3
15 20 31 72 85 157 8 12 20
times a 0 0 0
(4.17%) (5%) (4.60%) (20.14%) (21.21%) (20.65%) (4%) (5.45%) (4.75%)
day
Total
359 401 760 359 401 760 359 401 760 200 221 421
(100%)

International Journal of Community Medicine and Public Health | February 2017 | Vol 4 | Issue 2 Page 595
 Mukherjee R et al. Int J Community Med Public Health. 2017 Feb;4(2):593-597

Table 4: Most preferred (favourite) foods. ten girls (10%) consumed green leafy vegetables on a
daily basis and almost the same percentage of girls
Most preferred No of children consumed fruits on a “regular basis’ and consumption of
Snacks and fast food 601 (79.07%) fast food was found to be high.13
Indian Sweets 90 (11.84%)
Non vegetarian food including egg 42 (5.52%) In a study carried out in Bangladesh on the dietary
Fruits 27% (3.57%) patterns of adolescent girls, it was revealed that a
substantial proportion of the girls did not consume eggs
Total 760
(26%), milk (35%) or dark green leafy vegetables
(20%).14
Table 5: Least preferred foods.
In a study carried out in Baroda city of India, school
Least preferred No of children
children in the age group of 10-19 years were asked about
Milk 550 (72.36%) their dietary intake in the preceding 24 hours and their
Vegetables (green leafy) 152 (20%) food preferences. Fruits and vegetables were food items
Rice 40 (5.26%) the adolescents claimed they tend not to eat while fast
Dal (Pulses) 18 (2.38%) food and snacks were foods they tend to consume while
Total 760 50% admitted to consuming packaged food /beverages
like chocolates and soft drinks and 30 % had consumed
DISCUSSION fast food in the preceding 24 hours.15

In the present study, 55% of the children were non In a similar study carried out amongst Malaysian school
vegetarians and only 6% were vegetarians. Analysis of children 31% consumed milk and dairy products daily
the food preferences revealed that majority of children while around 20% consumed vegetables daily and 30% of
disliked milk the most, followed by green leafy the children consumed fruits daily.16 Nearly 60% of them
vegetable. However 70% of children took milk daily, preferred fried food like hamburger and fries despite
probably indicating parental persuasion and also the knowing that these were unhealthy food preferences .A
importance that Indian parents place on milk being a part similar finding was also reported from a study carried out
of the childrens’ diet. Majority of children in our study in Korea where it was noted that school children in both
(52.89%) consumed green leafy vegetables once a week urban and suburban areas preferred fast foods like
and only around 5% consumed it daily and around 20% pizzas.17
children in our study consumed fruits daily. In our study,
almost 80% of the children preferred Indian and Western In our study the mother’s educational status was not
snacks and this indicates the ever-growing trend of found to be significantly associated with the frequency of
children preferring processed food and sweetened consumption of any particular food item. This could
beverages. In our study, the mother’s educational status probably be because the children were homogenously
or family size was not significantly associated with the distributed with respect to mother’s educational status. In
frequency of consumption of any particular type of food several other studies, mother’s educational status and
items. knowledge about nutritional content of food has been
found to be significantly associated with greater
In a study carried out in Bahrain,intake of milk and dairy consumption of healthier food items among the
was observed in 50% of the children while 25% of the children.18-20
school children had a daily consumption of fruits and
vegetables.8 Limitations

In certain other studies carried out in Dhaka Bangladesh Our study has certain limitations. As data was collected
and rural Kenya, milk was completely missing from the from parents of school children in the age group of 5yrs-
diets of the school going children.9,10 11 years hence it is representative of only the primary
school children and not children of all school going ages.
A study carried out in Taiwan among schoolchildren aged Further, as the questionnaire was a self administered one,
6–9 and 10–12 years, documented low intake of fruits, it is possible that the responses of the parents do not
vegetables, cereals/grains, and dairy products, but high reflect the actual eating habits and preferences of their
intake of the protein-rich foods, salt/sauces, and children. We only collected responses from the parents
fats/oils.11 In a study carried out in Ghana among however had we collected response from the children too,
adolescents, fruits were rarely eaten by 56% and this would have added to the study. Another limitation of
vegetables were rarely eaten by 48% of the study subjects this study was that it is possible that the parents did not
surveyed.12 correctly recall the frequency or the dietary preferences
of the children.
A study carried out on the dietary patterns of adolescent
girls in Varanasi city of India, revealed that only one in

International Journal of Community Medicine and Public Health | February 2017 | Vol 4 | Issue 2 Page 596
 Mukherjee R et al. Int J Community Med Public Health. 2017 Feb;4(2):593-597

CONCLUSION 9. Ahmed F, Rahman A, Noor AN, Akhtaruzzaman M,

Hughes R. Anaemia and vitamin A status among
In developing countries diets of school children are adolescent schoolboys in Dhaka City, Bangladesh.
limited in diversity. Our study shows that school going Public Health Nutr. 2006;9:345-50.
children prefer processed “snack” food items while dairy 10. Gewa CA, Murphy SP, Weiss RE, Neumann CG.
products especially milk and green leafy vegetables are Determining minimum food intake amounts for
disliked by them .Fruits and green leafy wereare diet diversity scores to maximize associations
consumed daily by 20% and 5% of the children with nutrient adequacy: an analysis of
respectively while 70% of the children consumed milk schoolchildren’s diets in rural Kenya. Public Health
daily despite it being one of the most disliked food items. Nutr. 2014;17(12):2667-73.
This is pertinent as it indicates that parents can coerce or 11. Wu SJ, Pan WH, Yeh NH, Chang HY. Dietary
persuade their children into consuming food items they nutrient intake and major food sources: the Nutrition
feel is beneficial for their health. Diets of children contain and Health Survey of Taiwan Elementary School
more of calorie rich processed food and less of fruits, Children 2001–2002. Asia Pac J Clin Nutr.
vegetables and animal foods. This usually leads to a 2007;16(suppl 2):518-533.
deficiency of micronutrients. Food habits acquired during 12. Doku D, Koivusilta L, Raisamo S, Rimpelä A.
childhood persist into adulthood and for the basis for Socio-economic differences in adolescents’
either good health or ill health, as the case may be, in the breakfast eating, fruit and vegetable consumption
coming years. Hence there is a need to educate parents, and physical activity in Ghana. Public Health
especially in the middle and higher socioeconomic Nutr. 2013;16:864-72.
groups regarding correct dietary habits for the children to 13. Krishna J, Mishra CP,Singh GP. Dietary diversity of
ensure that they can live healthy and productive lives as urban adolescent girls in Varanasi. Indian J Prev.
adults Soc Med. 2012;43(3).
14. Ahmed F, Zareen M, Khan MR, Banu CP, Haq MN,
Funding: No funding sources Jackson AA. Dietary pattern,nutrient intake and
Conflict of interest: None declared growth of adolescent school girls in urban
Ethical approval: The study was approved by the Bangladesh. Public Health Nutr.1998;1(2):83-92.
Institutional Ethics Committee 15. Kotecha PV, Patel SV, Baxi RK, Mazumdar VS,
Shobha M, Mehta KG, et al. Dietary Pattern of
REFERENCES Schoolgoing Adolescents in Urban Baroda, India. J
Health, Population, and Nutrition. 2013;31(4):490-
1. United Nations, Department of Economic and 6.
Social Affairs, Population Division (2015). 16. Hoque KE, Kamaluddin MA, Abdul Razak AZ,
2. World Population Prospects: The 2015 Revision, Abdul Wahid AA. Building healthy eating habits in
Key Findings and Advance Tables. Working Paper childhood: a study of the attitudes, knowledge and
No. ESA/P/WP.241 .Accessed 30 Oct 2016 dietary habits of schoolchildren in Malaysia. Peer J.
3. Kelder SH, Perry CL, Klepp KI, Lytle LL. 2016;4:e2651. eCollection 2016.
Longitudinal tracking of adolescent smoking, 17. Park E-S, Lee J-H, Kim M-H. Eating Habits and
physical activity and food choice behaviours. Food Preferences of Elementary School Students in
American J Public Health. 1994;84:1121-6. Urban and Suburban Areas of Daejeon. Clinical
4. Buttriss J. Nutrition, health and schoolchildren. Nutr Nutrition Research. 2015;4(3):190-200.
Bull. 2002;27:275-316. 18. Al-Shookri, A, Al-Shukaily L, Hassan F, Al-Sheraji,
5. Bamji MS, Rao PN, Reddy V. Textbook of human S, Al-Tobi S. Effect of mothers nutritional
Nutrition:New Delhi,Oxford and IBH Publishing Co knowledge and attitudes on Omani children's dietary
Pvt Ltd; 2009. intake. Oman Medical J. 2011;26(4):253-7.
6. Livingstone MBE, Robson PJ: Measurement of 19. Vereecken C, Maes L. Young children's dietary
dietary intake in children. Proc Nutr Soc. habits and associations with the mothers’ nutritional
2000;59:279-93. knowledge and attitudes. 2010;54:44-51.
7. Dean AG, Coulombier D, Brendel KA, Smith DC, 20. Yabancı N, Kısaç I, Karakuş SS. The Effects of
Bur- ton AG, Dicker RC et al. Epi Infoversion 6.04. Mother's Nutritional Knowledge on Attitudes and
A word processor, database and statistical Behaviors of Children about Nutrition, Procedia -
programme for public health on IBM compatible Social and Behavioral Sciences. 2014;116:4477-81.
microcomputers. Atlanta, GA: Centers for Disease
Control and Preven- tion, 2001. Cite this article as: Mukherjee R, Chaturvedi S. A
8. Gharib N, Rasheed P. Energy and macronutrient study of the dietary habits of school children in Pune
intake and dietary pattern among school children city, Maharashtra, India. Int J Community Med
in Bahrain: a cross-sectional study. Nutr J. Public Health 2017;4:593-7.
2011;10:1-12.

International Journal of Community Medicine and Public Health | February 2017 | Vol 4 | Issue 2 Page 597

View publication stats