Child Nutrition Flashcards
Life cycle stages
Child: 6-12
Middle childhood: 6-10
Preadolescence: 9-11 for girls and 10-12 for boys
Both may also be termed “school age”
Physiological development in school age children
Muscular strength, motor coordination and stamina increase
Body fat reaches min in early childhood, then increases in preparation for adolescent growth spurt
Adiposity rebounds between age 6-6.2- fat levels have reached their bottom
Boys have more lean tissue than girls
Cognitive development in school age children
Self efficacy- the knowledge of what do do and the ability to do it
Change from preoperational period to concrete operations
Develops sense of self
More independently and learn family roles
Peer relationships become important
Development of feeding skills
Increased motor coordination and improved feeding skills
Measures use of eating utensils- cut up own food
Involved in food prep- depends how early it was introduced
Complexities of skills increase with age
Learning about different foods simple food prep and basic nutrition facts- can be positive or negative. If limited exposure to foods ourtside a package, may be challenged to understand differences between some foods
Eating behaviours
Parents and older siblings influence food choices in early childhood with peer influences increasing in preadolescence
Parents should be positive role models
Family meal times should he encouraged
Media has strong influence on food choices
Body image and excessive dieting
The mothers concern of her own weight issues may increase her influence over her daughters food intake
Young girls are preoccupied with weight and body size at an early stage
Normal increase in adiposity at this age may be interpreted as the beginning of obesity
Imposing controls and restriction of forbidden foods may increase desire and intake of the foods
Overweight and obesity
One quarter of Aus children overweight
8% obese
BMI lowest from 4-6 years
Adiposity rebound- normal increase in BMI that occurs after BMI declines
Best treatment is allowing child to grow into his or her weight
Recommendations for intake
Iron fortified foods Fibre rich foods- veg, wholegrains Calcium - dairy Fluids Calcium and vit D for bone formation, exposure to sunlight
Fluid and soft drinks
Preadolescence sweat less during exercise than adolescents and adults
Provide plenty of water or sports drinks to prevent dehydration
Limit soft drinks because they provide empty calories, displace milk consumption and promote tooth decay
Vegetarian diets
3 meals and 2 snacks
Avoid excessive bulky foods ie bran
Include energy dense foods (cheese/ avocado)
Fat- 30% with omega 3 fatty acids and less than 10% from sat fat
Sources of vitamin B12, vit D and calcium should be included or supplemented
Physical activity
60 mins per day and up to several hours of moderate- vigorous intensity every day
No more than 2 hours on electronics
Girls less physically active than boys
Decreased pa with age
Season and climate impact on level of activity
Nutrition education
School age prime time for learning about healthy lifestyles
Schools can provide an appropriate environment for nutrition education and learning health lifestyles
May be knowledge based nutrition or behavioural based
Feeding problems
Low interest in eating
Long mealtimes
Preferring liquids over solids
Food refusals
Autism and ADHD pose significant mealtime problems
Failure to thrive
Inadequate weight or height gain with growth declines more than 2 growth percentiles
May result from digestive problems, neurological conditions, pediatric aids
Energy needs
Lower calories for children with slow growth or decreased muscles such as Prader willi syndrome
Increased calories needed as activity increases such as in autism or ADHD
Protein varies by condition- burns record or CF may had 150% increase
Protein based in born errors may need lower protein
Some
Conditions may require hydrolysed or specific amino acids
