Food and nutrition knowledge of elementary and high school-age children from Chile's Metropolitan Region Conocimientos alimentarios y nutricionales de escolares de educación básica y media de la Región Metropolitana de Chile

Abstract

Background: In Chile there is scarce food and nutrition knowledge among school age children. Aim: To determine the degree of food and nutrition knowledge of elementary and high school children and its relationship to socioeconomic status, sex, type of school and geographic area. Subjects and methods: Between 1986 and 1987, a representative and proportional sample of 4509 children was chosen from the Metropolitan Region. This sample was stratified according to school grade, sex, type of school and geographical area. Graffar's modified method was used to measure socioeconomic status. Food and nutrition knowledge was assessed by a specific test for each grade, based on the objectives pursued by the curricular programs of the Ministry of Education. Results: The test was applied to 4197 children. Food and nutrition knowledge was significantly lower in the second subcycle of elementary school, in males, in older children from each grade, in rural areas, in children of low socioeconomic statu