Children in hospital in Ireland - what do they eat and what do they weigh: a cross-sectional study
- Hdl Handle:
- http://hdl.handle.net/10147/243764
- Title:
- Children in hospital in Ireland - what do they eat and what do they weigh: a cross-sectional study
- Authors:
- Citation:
- BMC Research Notes. 2012 Sep 06;5(1):491
- Issue Date:
- 6-Sep-2012
- URI:
- http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/1756-0500-5-491; http://hdl.handle.net/10147/243764
- Abstract:
- AbstractBackgroundOverweight and obesity is a growing problem in Ireland. Many parents are unaware when their child is overweight or obese. Our objectives were to examine parents’ perceptions of a healthy diet and their children’s BMI; and to evaluate the food offered to children in our paediatric in-patient unit.FindingsA retrospective questionnaire was distributed to 95 patients and their families admitted over one month. Seventy-eight had BMI values calculated (42 males, 36 females). Twenty-one children (26.9%) were overweight/obese: 14/21 parents (66.7%) thought their child had a normal weight. Sixty percent of children served dinner in the hospital were given fried potatoes. Four had fruit/vegetables. Forty-six parents brought food into hospital, of these 14 brought purchased food.ConclusionsThis study highlights the problem of child obesity in Ireland and parental underestimation of this problem. The nutritional value of food served to children in hospital needs to be improved and hospital admissions used as opportunities to promote healthy eating habits.
- Item Type:
- Journal Article
Full metadata record
DC Field | Value | Language |
---|---|---|
dc.contributor.author | Flinn, Aisling | - |
dc.contributor.author | Macken, Alan P | - |
dc.contributor.author | Cullen, Walter | - |
dc.contributor.author | Leddin, Des | - |
dc.contributor.author | Dunne, Colum | - |
dc.contributor.author | O’Gorman, Clodagh S | - |
dc.date.accessioned | 2012-09-13T08:56:47Z | - |
dc.date.available | 2012-09-13T08:56:47Z | - |
dc.date.issued | 2012-09-06 | - |
dc.identifier.citation | BMC Research Notes. 2012 Sep 06;5(1):491 | - |
dc.identifier.uri | http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/1756-0500-5-491 | - |
dc.identifier.uri | http://hdl.handle.net/10147/243764 | - |
dc.description.abstract | AbstractBackgroundOverweight and obesity is a growing problem in Ireland. Many parents are unaware when their child is overweight or obese. Our objectives were to examine parents’ perceptions of a healthy diet and their children’s BMI; and to evaluate the food offered to children in our paediatric in-patient unit.FindingsA retrospective questionnaire was distributed to 95 patients and their families admitted over one month. Seventy-eight had BMI values calculated (42 males, 36 females). Twenty-one children (26.9%) were overweight/obese: 14/21 parents (66.7%) thought their child had a normal weight. Sixty percent of children served dinner in the hospital were given fried potatoes. Four had fruit/vegetables. Forty-six parents brought food into hospital, of these 14 brought purchased food.ConclusionsThis study highlights the problem of child obesity in Ireland and parental underestimation of this problem. The nutritional value of food served to children in hospital needs to be improved and hospital admissions used as opportunities to promote healthy eating habits. | - |
dc.title | Children in hospital in Ireland - what do they eat and what do they weigh: a cross-sectional study | - |
dc.type | Journal Article | - |
dc.language.rfc3066 | en | - |
dc.rights.holder | Aisling Flinn et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd. | - |
dc.description.status | Peer Reviewed | - |
dc.date.updated | 2012-09-12T19:08:15Z | - |
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