Consumption of legumes in children from 3 to 6 years – evaluation of an intervention program

Abstract Introduction Eating habits are a key aspect of a healthy lifestyle. This study focuses on the importance of consuming legumes - rich and accessible source of protein, and a healthy and sustainable option, in environmental terms - contributing to increment health literacy levels at the population level. Objectives To design, implement and evaluate a program to promote the consumption of legumes - Beans4Life. Specifically, to assess its impact on the knowledge and frequency of consumption of the eight legumes (beans, grain, peas, beans, beans, lentils, chickpeas and lupins). Methods Pre-test post-test analytical study, with three evaluation moments: 1) before the intervention; 2) after the intervention with the children and 3) after the intervention with the guardians (end of the intervention). Participants: 90 children from 3 to 6 years old (54.4% male) and their guardians. Instruments: questionnaire to assess knowledge and food preferences, questionnaire on eating habits and a questionnaire to evaluate sessions. The intervention had two components, the first with the children (4 food education sessions) and the second with the families (activities that facilitate the inclusion of recipes with legumes in the family's daily life). Results Before the intervention, the results obtained show low levels of knowledge and frequency of consumption of legumes, influencing low health literacy. Peas and beans are the best known legumes (81.1% and 55.6%) and also preferred (77.8% and 73.3%). The results obtained in the second and third assessments show that there was a significant increase (p < 0.05) in the knowledge and frequency of consumption of most legumes. Conclusions The objectives initially proposed were achieved and it will be pertinent to continue the present study, with larger samples, in order to increase health literacy awareness and the consumption of this food group in childhood, and provide more robust results that help to clarify the relationships found.


Introduction:
Childhood obesity is a natural response to the modern food environment. A daily consumption of sugar that exceeds the WHO recommendation by 40.7% of Portuguese children influence this condition. It is recognized that children spend more time watching television and youtube, absorbing commercials about food, being susceptible to these messages and negative health literacy. Nutrition marketing is involved in these ads and most of them promote foods high in fat, sugar and salt through persuasive techniques. Purpose: Assess implications of exposure to nutritional marketing through television and YouTube on preferences, attitudes and consumption of children from 6 to 10 years old and contribute to the increment of health literacy. Materials and methods: Data collection through two online questionnaires about television and youtube habits and children's food preferences, developed by the research team. Statistical analysis was performed using IBM SPSS Statistics software.

Results:
Forty-two students who were attending a private school, aged between 6 and 10 were evaluated. Access to youtube has led to less healthy choices for breakfast in 95% of students (p = 0.038). It was found that most children do not have TV in their room and have a more balanced breakfast (81%). Cereals, soft drinks and biscuits are foods groups that children see the most in the tv commercials (p = 0.001).

Conclusions:
Exposure to nutritional marketing influences children's preferences, consumption and preferences. An active strategy should be encourage to increment health literacy levels at the family level influencing therefore children's healthier choices.

Introduction:
Eating habits are a key aspect of a healthy lifestyle. This study focuses on the importance of consuming legumes -rich and accessible source of protein, and a healthy and sustainable option, in environmental terms -contributing to increment health literacy levels at the population level.

Objectives:
To design, implement and evaluate a program to promote the consumption of legumes -Beans4Life. Specifically, to assess its impact on the knowledge and frequency of consumption of the eight legumes (beans, grain, peas, beans, beans, lentils, chickpeas and lupins).

Methods:
Pre-test post-test analytical study, with three evaluation moments: 1) before the intervention; 2) after the intervention with the children and 3) after the intervention with the guardians (end of the intervention). Participants: 90 children from 3 to 6 years old (54.4% male) and their guardians. Instruments: questionnaire to assess knowledge and food preferences, questionnaire on eating habits and a questionnaire to evaluate sessions. The intervention had two components, the first with the children (4 food education sessions) and the second with the families (activities that facilitate the inclusion of recipes with legumes in the family's daily life).

Results:
Before the intervention, the results obtained show low levels of knowledge and frequency of consumption of legumes, influencing low health literacy. Peas and beans are the best known legumes (81.1% and 55.6%) and also preferred (77.8% and 73.3%). The results obtained in the second and third assessments show that there was a significant increase (p < 0.05) in the knowledge and frequency of consumption of most legumes.

Conclusions:
The objectives initially proposed were achieved and it will be pertinent to continue the present study, with larger samples, in order to increase health literacy awareness and the consumption of this food group in childhood, and provide more robust results that help to clarify the relationships found.

Introduction:
Health Literacy (HL) is the third pillar of Health Promotion and contributes to the sustainability agenda set earlier in Rio de Janeiro and latter in Shangai (e.g. WHO Shanghai Declaration, 2016). Nevertheless HL per se lacks consistency and structural modus faciendi implementation and practice.