Snacking pattern among primary and middle school students in three urban areas of Xi’an

Objective To understand the status of snack behavior among primary and middle school students in Xi'an city and to provide scientific basis for snack consumption and feasible intervention model.Methods Six primary and middle schools were chosen with multistage cluster random sampling in three urban areas of Xi'an.The information on snack behavior of the students was collected with a questionnaire.Results Of 1 611 primary and middle school students,98.6% had snack athome,which was higher than the proportion of students having snack at schools and other places.The most frequently consumed snacks were fresh fruits and vegetables athome(73.9%),cool drink at school(49.6%) and other places(65.5%).The favored snack among the students was beverage(29.8%).The snacks were prepared mainly by the students' mothers athome(75.4%) and by the students themselves at school(74.9%) and other places(72.4%).Good taste(76.3%) was the main factor to be considered by the students for snack selection,followed by nutrition(33.9%),clean and sanitary(27.9%).Conclusion Most of the primary and middle school students in Xi'an city have snack,but the snacking behavior of the students is not reasonable enough.The nutrient-education on choice and consumption of snack among parents and students should be strengthened.