بررسی الگوی مصرف میان وعده غذایی و برخی عوامل مؤثر بر آن در دانش آموزان ابتدایی شهر گنبد در سال 1392

Introduction and purpose: Healthy nutrition is an important factor in student&nbsp;learning and educational achievement. The present study aimed to survey snack&nbsp;pattern and some of its associated factors among students in elementary schools&nbsp;of Gonbad city, Iran, during 2013-2014.&nbsp;Methods: This cross-sectional study was performed in 245 students from eight&nbsp;elementary schools (both state and independent) of Gonbad city, Iran. The&nbsp;participants were chosen through multistage sampling method; in doing so, first&nbsp;Gonbad city was divided into four regions. The subjects were selected after&nbsp;selecting a random sample of schools in each region proportionate to the size&nbsp;of the region. Data was collected through a checklist consisting of two parts of&nbsp;demographic data and consumed snacks, which were collected by health experts.&nbsp;To analyze the data, Chi-squared test and Spearman&rsquo;s rank-order correlation were&nbsp;used in SPSS, version 17.&nbsp;Results: The mean age of the students was 10.3&plusmn;1.4 years. About 97.7% of the&nbsp;students consumed snack. Biscuits, cakes, and cookies were the most frequently&nbsp;consumed snacks (49%). Moreover, a significant relationship was found between&nbsp;snack consumption and maternal age (P<0.045), maternal educational level&nbsp;(P<0.001), and birth order of the students (P<0.045).&nbsp;Conclusion: Despite the favorable status of snack consumption in students,&nbsp;more attention should be drawn to the type of materials used in snacks. Given the&nbsp;importance of consumption of breakfast and snack in students, we recommend&nbsp;implementing training programs for students as to the importance of eating snacks. &nbsp;