Slovenian national food consumption survey on children (infants and toddlers)

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Published on: Fri, 08 Nov 2019

The Slovenian national food consumption survey on children was part of the third Slovenian national dietary survey ‐ SI.Menu 2017/18. A dietary study was especially needed for infants and toddlers, since no national food consumption data for this population group was yet available in Slovenia. The methodology of the survey followed the EFSA EU Menu Guidance and specifications in the contract. Individuals were randomly selected from the Slovenian Central Register of Population following a two‐stage stratified sampling procedure. Dietary survey sample was at population level representative of gender and age classes (three months to three years old). The participation rate to the survey was 67%. A fully completed data was collected for 637 participants of whom 294 were infants and 343 were toddlers. Data collection period was divided into four quarters (3‐monthly samples) and equal distribution of all week and weekend days was employed. Information on food consumption was collected with two non‐consecutive 24‐hour dietary recalls (using the OPEN dietary software) by interviewers. Recall was complemented with a short food propensity questionnaire. In addition, information concerning breastfeeding, feeding practices, milk formulas, food allergies, and foodsupplements was collected. Food items consumed were coded according to the FoodEx2 classification. Body mass and height/length were measured. Collected data for this sensitive population group will be very valuable for national risk assessments, nutritional studiesand for the development and evaluation of nutrition andhealth policies.