Assessment of parents' awareness of the anti-inflammatory diet and its impact on their child's health: survey study.

Abstract

Introduction: The latest evidence highlights that an unhealthy diet and poor nutrition status are some of the modifiable behavioural risk factors responsible for the development of non-communicable diseases (NCDs). Anti-inflammatory diets are important in both the treatment and prevention of disease (e.g. hypertension, obesity, Hashimoto's thyroiditis). The concept of these diets has common core foundations and recommendations. The family environment from early childhood plays a particularly important role in shaping healthy eating patterns of children and youths. Thus, parents' nutritional knowledge, attitudes, and dietary practices are essential in preventing NCD development and improving their children's health as their primary guardians. This study aims to assess parents' awareness of an anti-inflammatory diet.

Material and methods: A total of 325 parents participated in the study. Data for the study were collected anonymously using the CAWI method. The research tool was an original questionnaire about parents' awareness of anti-inflammatory diets.

Results: Of the 325 parents participating in the study, 204 (62.8%) admitted that they did not know which products to use in an anti-inflammatory diet. About half of them (165; 50.8%) had unsatisfactory knowledge of the anti-inflammatory diet, 66 (30.3%) had a good level of knowledge, and only 16 (5.5%) respondents had an excellent level of knowledge.

Conclusions: Parental awareness of the use of the anti-inflammatory diet was insufficient in the study group. It seems important to implement appropriate educational activities on the anti-inflammatory diet to expand parents' knowledge of the impact of nutrition on children's development.