Child-care nutrition environments: results from a survey of policy and practice in New Zealand early childhood education services.

ABSTRACT:

Objective

To describe nutrition environments in formal child care for 3- and 4-year-olds.

Design

Cross-sectional online survey of nutrition-related child-care policy and practice. Written nutrition policies were analysed using the Wellness Child Care Assessment Tool.

Setting

Licensed child-care services in the Auckland, Counties Manukau and Waikato regions of New Zealand.

Subjects

Eight hundred and forty-seven services (private and community day care, kindergartens and playcentres).

Results

Managers/head teachers of 257 child-care services completed the survey. Of services, 82·4 % had a written food, nutrition or wellness policy. Most policies did not refer to the national Food and Nutrition Guidelines and lacked directives for staff regarding recommende

SUBMITTER: Gerritsen S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10271085 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature