Choice of food for children and teenagers in a hospital setting

How effective are interventions?

Carmen Rohde, Sibylle Kapellen, Katrin Schmidt, Antje Körner, Holger Till, Ute Sachse, Wieland Kiess, Leipzig

It is generally known that the nutritional behaviour of Germans is not optimal. This also applies to the daily diet of children in a hospital setting.

The authors tried to improve the situation by different interventions: First, by written information to the patients about what food should be preferred in particular. Secondly, by a wider spectrum of so-called „healthy food“ offered so that the patients had a greater choice. And thirdly, by smaller portions of those food components of which too much is usually taken.

Then the eating behavior of about 250 children and teenagers was studied again. The findings were compared to the findings before the inventions. It became evident that the stricter interventions are much more effective than those just informing patients or increasing the spectrum of healthy food.

Keywords: preventive nutrition, nutritional intervention, nutritional information, nutrition in hospitals, choice of menu.

Sie finden den Artikel in deutscher Sprache in Ernährungs Umschau 03/08 ab Seite 144.