Evaluation qualitative de la consommation des fruits et légumes chez les enfants scolarisés dans la région d’Ain Témouchent

Abstract

Childhood is an important and sensitive stage of human life, as it is the basic growth period that requires attention to the quality of nutrition. A child's diet is crucial, because it must meet his needs in order for him to grow, move, and develop physically and intellectually. The food will provide the child's body with all the nutrients such as vegetables and fruits that it needs to continue growing. It will also provide him with essential amino acids needed for tissue building, calcium and vitamin D for skeletal growth, and fatty acids for proper development of cell membranes. This consumption is recommended worldwide by the Food and Agriculture Organization and the World Health Organization. The objective of this study is to qualitatively assess the food consumption of fruits and vegetables in school children in the region of Ain Temouchent. The study was conducted on 150 children between the ages of 6 and 11 who answered adapted questionnaires about their eating habits and their consumption of fruits and vegetables specifically. The children surveyed had an average BMI equal to 18.04 (kg/m2) which was included in the period (12.7 to 19.9), so according to WHO standards, children consider themselves to be of normal weight. The results showed that their consumption of dairy products, starches, fruits and vegetables is same as the recommendations. Consumption of fish within the standards. The evaluation showed that (83.66%) of the children have a good knowledge of food. Our study shows that children have a good knowledge of the importance of fruits and vegetables in their daily diet.