Peculiarities of Food Diversity in the Diet of Children aged 7–18 Using Regional Food Products in the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia)

Abstract

Introduction. Improving the nutrition of schoolchildren and introducing a culture of nutrition with a national component is one of the priority strategic tasks of improving the health of the population.Aim. Study the frequency of consumption of foods with high nutritional value by schoolchildren living in the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia).Materials and methods. According to the developed questionnaire, a survey of 932 parents (legal representatives) of children aged 7–18 was conducted. Statistical processing of the obtained data was carried out using the Excel program using Student’s t-test and Pearson’s χ2 method.Results and discussion. Children living in Yakutia are characterized by a higher frequency of meat consumption, but less consumption of milk and sour-milk drinks, cottage cheese, fish compared to children in the Arctic zone and the Russian Federation as a whole. At least once a week, 31% of local and 30% of alien children consume fish. Despite the presence of meat in the diet, especially of the local population, 40–60% of children consume sausages more than 3 times a week. 70–90% of children consume fruits several times a week and 65–80% vegetables. The number of children consuming sour-milk drinks has increased, and 60–70% of children use them in their diet, whereas previously only 50% consumed them. 10–15% of children of both ethnic groups do not consume milk and sour-milk drinks, cottage cheese – 50–60% of local and 40% of aliens. Both local and alien children began to use national products more often in their diet.Conclusion. In recent years, thanks to complex measures, the food diversity of the diets of schoolchildren living in the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) has significantly improved, characterized by the inclusion of local traditional products in the diet of both the local and the alien population.