Do children and adolescents with excess body weight and dyslipidemia consume enough vegetables and fruits before participating in the nutritional intervention program?

Background: The recommended intake of vegetables and fruits is an important element of dietotherapy in the treatment of excess body weight and dyslipidemia in children and adolescents.

Objective: Assessment of vegetables and fruits consumption by children and adolescents with excess body weight and diagnosed dyslipidemia before participating in the nutritional intervention program.

Material and methods: The study included 64 children and adolescents (44 boys and 20 girls) aged 8-16 with overweight or obesity and dyslipidemia. These were patients of the Children's Memorial Health Institute in Warsaw referred by a pediatrician to participate in the nutritional intervention program. Vegetables and fruits consumption was estimated based on a 3-day current food record and the validated Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ-6).

Results: The average consumption of total vegetables and fruits was 593±311 g, including 286±163 g of vegetables and 306±199 g of fruits (no differences in the groups with overweight and obesity, p>0.05). Compared to participants with overweight, patients with obesity consumed more vegetables per 1000 kcal of diet (p=0.034). In total, 41% of children and adolescents had a greater share of vegetables than fruits in meeting the recommendations (no differences between groups of participants with overweight or obesity, p>0.05). About half of the participants ate vegetables and fruits less than once a day. Raw vegetables and fruits were chosen more often than processed ones or juices.

Conclusions: Only 16% of children and adolescents with excess body weight and dyslipidemia before participating in the nutritional intervention program did not consume the recommended amounts of vegetables and fruits set at a minimum of 400 g. In nutritional education, special attention should be paid to promoting the consumption of several portions of vegetables and fruits every day, as well as their appropriate proportions.