Nutrition survey: Who eats what

The survey of children's diet and exercise habits (see link at end of story) ranges from what they like on their toast in the morning to how long they spend watching television and videos.

It goes into detail about nutrition levels, who has breakfast before school and what children weigh.

And it shows up differences between children of different age-groups and ethnic backgrounds.

The results will guide Government policy and public health programmes.

These are some of the key findings in the 2002 National Children's Nutrition Survey.

WHAT CHILDREN EAT

Only half New Zealand children eat the recommended daily intake of fruit and vegetables.

Most enjoy biscuits and crisps each week.

Many reach for the tomato sauce at meal times and their favourite spreads are jam or honey.

* About two out of five children ate fruit at least twice a day - apples and pears were the most popular.

* About three out of five children ate vegetables three or more times a day.

* Potatoes cooked any way - mashed, boiled, fries or wedges - were the most common vegetable eaten.

* More European children ate carrots and broccoli. Corn, spinach, puha or watercress were popular with Maori children, and Pacific children opted for taro, cooked green banana, cassava and tomatoes.

* Chicken was the most common meat, followed by mince and luncheon ham and chicken. Children in poorer families were more likely to eat canned corned beef, fish fingers and meat and vegetable "boil-up".

* City children were more likely to eat burgers - about a fifth ate them every week.

* Noodles were eaten by about half of children, while a third chose canned spaghetti.

* Biscuits, potato crisps, corn snacks or chips were eaten by most children every week.

* Forty per cent of children ate breakfast cereal once a day. Weetbix-type cereal was the most popular, followed by cornflakes.

* Jam or honey were the most popular spreads, followed by peanut butter, Marmite or Vegemite and Nutella.

* Tomato sauce or ketchup was lathered on food by the majority of children every week.

* Butter or margarine was added to cooked vegetables every week by about a third. Maori and Pacific Island children were more likely to use margarine and less likely to use olive oil than Europeans or Asians.

* Cheese, ice cream and yoghurt or dairy food were the most common dairy foods, consumed by about 65 per cent of children each week. Eggs were about as popular.

* Nearly 40 per cent of children drank milk every day. Powdered drinks such as Raro and Refresh were the most popular non-milk drinks.

* Coca-Cola or other cola drinks were the most popular soft-drink among children.

* Tea was more popular than coffee - 21 per cent of children drank tea each week compared with 6 per cent for coffee.

EATING PATTERNS

Most children ate breakfast before they left for school. Older children were less likely to eat breakfast before school but more likely to eat on the way to school. European children were the most likely to eat at home before school, followed by Maori and then Pacific children.

The majority of children brought most of their food from home, particularly younger children. About half bought some of the food they ate at school from a tuckshop.

Most children ate meat and vegetables and only about 5 per cent used a dietary supplement.

ENERGY AND NUTRIENTS

The survey found that vitamin and mineral intakes for most children, particularly younger children, were satisfactory but some groups did not get enough, in part because they ate less food containing beta-carotene (vegetables) and retinol (milk). Pacific children also appeared to have lower calcium intakes.

Iron levels were mostly adequate but iodine levels were found to be too low in some children.

Salt was not added to the meals prepared for about one-third of children and about half did not add salt to meals at the table. European children were less likely to add salt than Maori or Pacific children.

While eating too much salt can be bad for health, contributing to high blood pressure, the researchers said it was important that when salt was used it was iodised.

* Bread was the single biggest contributor to children's energy intake, while bread, milk and poultry provided a third of their protein intake. Protein intake was in excess of requirements for all age-groups.

* The main source of total fat in children's diets was potatoes, kumara and taro. This included potato chips and crisps.

* Milk was the largest contributor of saturated fat, followed by potatoes, kumara and taro, pies and pasties.

* More than one-quarter of sucrose came from beverages and one-fifth from sugar and sweets.

* Vitamin and mineral intakes were mostly satisfactory, as were iron levels.

ACTIVITY AND WEIGHT

Too little exercise and too much time in front of television and computers are often cited as major contributors to New Zealand's childhood obesity epidemic.

Unsurprisingly, the study confirms that large numbers of children, particularly Pacific children, are overweight or obese.

* About three-quarters of children watched less than two hours of television or videos a day. Sixty per cent did not play computer or video games either during the week or at the weekend.

* A higher proportion of Maori and Pacific children watched television or videos for at least four hours every day.

* Males were most likely to play computer or video games. Males were more likely than females to be the most physically active.

* Almost half of children were driven to and from school, but that proportion decreased with age.

* Walking at least 15 minutes a day was the most frequently reported activity by about 60 per cent.

* About one in five children aged 5 to 10, and one in 10 aged 11-14, reported no physical education class in the previous week.

* About 12.5 per cent of children did no physical activity at the weekend, and females aged 11 to 14 were the least active - 22.8 per cent did no exercise at the weekend.

* A majority of children (68.9 per cent) fell within an acceptable weight range in relation to their height. The rest are overweight or obese. About 60 per cent of Pacific children were overweight or obese, compared with about 40 per cent of Maori and 24 per cent of European children.

* More than 90 per cent of children attended a school dental clinic or dentist and 88 per cent brushed their teeth at least once a day.

WHAT PEOPLE CAN AFFORD

About 78 per cent of households said they could always afford to eat properly, but 20 per cent said they could afford to do so only sometimes.

Households with European children were the most likely to say they could afford all they needed. Those with the most children were more likely to struggle.

More than a third of households reported that the variety of foods was limited by lack of money.


NZ Food, NZ Children: Findings of the 2002 National Children's Nutrition Survey