31 Oct 2012 Nestlé Rainbow Nation Health Monitor study: Understanding younger teens

Nestlé’s Rainbow Nation Health Monitor study took a closer look at youngsters – and thas concluded that heir dietary and lifestyle habits are cause for concern.

Whilst the main study  – to determine South African’s attitudes towards nutrition, health and wellness, dietary patterns, weight profile and levels of risk of cardiovascular disease – of 3 001 people targeted adults (defined as those aged 16 years and older), a small additional sample of 286 youngsters aged 12 to 15 years inclusive were asked to complete a short questionnaire using a simple agree/disagree format, complete a checklist to describe how they regard their diet and verify their consumption behaviour through diary entries.

Perhaps surprisingly, 86% said that they love going to school (although it must be borne in mind that some schools do provide food for needy learners and this is known to have a good effect on attendance levels) and 69% said that they do find it easy to concentrate at school. 

Almost three-quarters of children in this age bracket said that they eat breakfast every day – somewhat lower than that claimed by their parents where 88% said that they make sure that their children get breakfast every day.

Whilst 65% say that they play lots of games, only 45% of these essentially younger teens say that they spend lots of time outside. Given South Africa’s climate, this is disappointing. A half admit that they spend a lot of time watching TV every day.

Of even greater concern is that 30% of these youngsters worry about things in life and 13% say that they do not feel well most of the time (although 79% do say that, in general, they are happy and cheerful). Some dietary habits of this age group are of concern:

• 63% admit that they often eat junk food (three-quarters of these children have parents who exert little control over what they eat). This intake consists of sweets, chips and biscuits mainly (each eaten by about a fifth of the sample, with chocolates coming in at one in ten).
• Only a half say that they eat lots of vegetables and fruit– but, in actual fact, only two-thirds of these children are actually eating any vegetables and fruit.
• However, 72% do say that they do have a good variety of foods in their diet.
• 70% say that they drink lots of water every day – but, on average, they are only drinking four cups a day. This follows the trends of adult South Africans in general who also drink much less than the recommended daily amounts of water.
• Only a half take a packed lunch to school.
• Overall, a quarter of these younger teens say that they do not get enough to eat.

Whilst children may eat breakfast or take a packed lunch, the nutritive value of these is not always the best.  Bread is eaten by 57% for breakfast with one in three eating soft pap or porridge, usually with sugar.  One in six eat eggs, one in ten have fresh fruit and one in ten eat polony for breakfast on any given day. Three-quarters consume sugar at breakfast and third add salt, these figures exclude what might already be in the food.

During Child Protection Week at the end of May 2012, UNICEF released an update of some sobering statistics regarding all of South Africa’s children – who make up 37% of our population. They offer an insight into the unnecessary deaths and debilitating living conditions suffered by many children.

The report estimates that 11.9 million of South Africa’s 18.6 million children live in poverty – and shows that poor children are up to 17 times more likely to experience hunger and up to three times less likely to complete school than children who are not from poor households. Initial progress towards reducing hunger has been reversed in recent years, probably partly as a result of the recession and job losses.

Four out of ten children live in homes where no-one has a job and, in the case of the poorest households, this rises to seven out of ten.

The need for good nutrition for South Africa’s children is very high.

For more on this study, go to the Nestlé website: www.nestle.co.za