Study finds children eat healthier at daycare centers than at home

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2015-09/cchm-sfc090915.php

Public Release: 9-Sep-2015
Study finds children eat healthier at daycare centers than at home
Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center

A recent study conducted by researchers at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center has found that preschool age children are consuming more calories and fewer fruits, vegetables and milk outside of child care centers than what is recommended by the USDA's Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP).

Based off of guidelines from the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, children who attend full-time child care are to receive one-half to two-thirds of their daily nutritional needs while attending a child care facility, leaving about a third to one-half of their total calories to be consumed away from child care.

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"We found that after children left child-care centers, they weren't eating enough fruits or vegetables, or drinking enough milk to meet dietary guidelines, and on average consumed more calories than recommended."

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Dr. Copeland said that contrary to her team's hypotheses, children from low-income families did not consume fewer fruits and vegetables than children from upper income families; children consumed insufficient fruits and vegetables across the board. Lower-income children were also not significantly more likely to be overweight than upper-income children. The only significant difference in diet was that children from low-income families consumed more sugar-sweetened beverages.

Excess calories consumed outside of the child-care centers were significantly associated with children being overweight. For every increase in 200 calories consumed away from the center, the child's odds of being overweight increased by 20 percent.

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