An assessment of the food intakes of children who participated in School Milk Program in the Frontier School Division of Manitoba

• Main Author: O'Neill, Margaret Irene
• Language: en_US
• Published: 2009
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/1993/3497

In the spring of 1974 the Government of Manitoba gave approval for a School Milk Program, for students attending Kindergarten through Grade Four in the Frontier School Division of the Province, with the objective of providing a milk supplement to school children and nutrition education for the program participants and their families. Three-day food records of 145 children were assessed qualitatively by food-groups in relation to Canada's Food Guide recommendations. The investigation included two surveys, the first being conducted in the summer of 1974 before the initiation of the program, and the second being conducted in the winter of 1975 after the children had been receiving the milk supplement for approximately six months and nutrition education for approximately eight months. The data obtained were divided into three studies: Study 0ne included data from 103 children who participated in the summer survey, Study Two included data from eighty-one participants in the winter survey, and Study Three included data from thirty-nine children who participated in both the summer and winter surveys. 0n the basis of the food records it was shown that the mean milk intake of the children was 1.98 cups in Study One, 2.42 cups in Study Two, and 2.28 cups and 2.59 in the summer and winter surveys, respectively, of Study Three. The mean intakes of fruit was 1.27 servings in Study One, 1.17 servings in Study Two, and 1.32 and 1.31 servings in the summer and winter surveys, respectively, of Study Three. In Study One the mean potato intake was 0.96 servings, in Study Two it was 0.79 servings, and in the summer and winter surveys of Study Three it was 1.19 and 0.89 servings, respectively. The mean vegetable intake of the children was 0.45 servings in Study One, 0.48 servings in Study Two, and 0.47 and 0.56 servings in the summer and winter surveys, respectively, of Study Three. The mean intake of bread-cereal was 3.58 servings in Study One, 4.58 servings in Study Two, and 3.30 and 4.11 servings in the summer and winter surveys, respectively, of Study Three. The mean meat intake was 1.85 servings in Study One, 1.60 servings in Study Two, and 1.47 and 1.71 in Study Three's summer and winter surveys respectively. It was found that there was a significant change in the milk intake and bread-cereal intake from the summer survey to the winter survey of Study Three. ln general, however, the children's intakes of the vegetabie, fruit, milk, and potato food-groups were below the recommendations of Canada's Food Guide, while intakes of the meat and bread-cereal food-groups were in closer agreement with Food Guide recommendations. A household profile and supplementary information questionnaire were also completed for participating households.