Nutritional status of preschool children and correlative behavior and cognition level in paterfamilias

Objective To discuss the mipact of relevant factors and paterfamilias' behavior and cognition level on pre school childrenps nutritional status.Methods Two kindergartens were randomly selected from Shenyang city.Preschool children at age of 2-6 years in the kindergartens were involved in a physical exam ination and their nutritional status was evaluated.The questionnaire was designed to collect information on obesity-related behaviors of the children and their parents,and the parents' cognitive level about childhood obesity.The relationship between obesity-related factors and the nutritional status of preschool children was analyzed.Results Among the children with fasteating behavior,261 8%(15/56) had better nutrition status,higher than that of the children with general and sloweating behavior(11.0%and 6.9%,respec tively,χ²=38.02,P < 0.01).The parents of the children with better and good nutrition status had more unhealthy eating habits(34.7%and 17.6%,respectively) than the parents of the children with middle and lower-middle nutrition status (14.9% and 13.3%,respectively,χ²=9.91,P < 0.05).Among fathers of the children with better nutritional status, 77.6% were over weight or obese,more than those of the children with middle and lowe-rmiddle nutritional status(46.1% and 46.7% respectively,χ²=18.24,P < 0.01).Of the children with uppernutrition status,32.7% were cared by their grandparents with higher rates than the children with middle and lower-middle nutrition status(23.4% and 20.0%,respec tively,χ²=8.01,P < 0.05).Conclusion Among a variety of obesity relevant factors,children's eating speed,parents. unhealthy eating habits,father's body mass index and childrenps nurturers in previous 3 years have greater impacton nutritional status of preschool children.