© Borgis - New Medicine 3/2010, s. 79-83
*Wojciech Chalcarz, Sylwia Merkiel
Nutritional knowledge of the preschool staff from Nowy Sącz and the vicinity. Part 3. Rich sources of vitamins and minerals
Food and Nutrition Department of the Eugeniusz Piasecki University School of Physical Education in Poznań
Head of the Department: dr hab. Wojciech Chalcarz, prof. nadzw. AWF
Summary
Aim. The aim of this study was to assess knowledge about rich sources of vitamins and minerals in preschool staff from Nowy Sącz and the vicinity.
Material and methods. Questionnaires on the knowledge about rich sources of vitamins and minerals were filled in by 84 women who worked in eight preschools in Nowy Sącz and the vicinity. The studied population was divided according to educational status. The SPSS 12.0 PL for Windows computer programme was used to carry out the statistical analysis. Mean percentages of correct answers were calculated in order to compare the level of knowledge of the studied population.
Results. Educational status had statistically significant influence on the answers to nine questions, including one question concerning rich sources of vitamin A, B vitamins, calcium and iron, as well as five questions concerning rich sources of vitamin C. The mean percentage of correct answers to all of the questions was 18.6% in the staff with vocational education, 34.1% in the staff with secondary education and 32.1% in the staff with higher education.
Conclusions. Nutritional knowledge about rich sources of vitamins and minerals in the studied preschool staff was insufficient, irrespective of the educational status. Low level of nutritional knowledge of the studied women shows the need to organise obligatory nutrition courses for the preschool staff.
INTRODUCTION
In our previous articles we pointed to the considerable influence of nutritional knowledge of both parents (1, 2, 3) and preschool staff (4, 5) on preschool children's dietary behaviour. A very important area of this knowledge, which makes it possible to compose balanced meals and the whole daily food ration for the child, is the issue of rich dietary sources of vitamins and minerals. These nutrients are biologically active and play a crucial role in human metabolism, especially in the first stages of life. The few studies, published so far, on the knowledge about rich dietary sources of vitamins and minerals among parents of preschool children (3, 6) showed low level of knowledge in the studied populations. The question arises whether preschool staff has better knowledge in this field.
AIM
The aim of this study was to assess knowledge about rich sources of vitamins and minerals in preschool staff from Nowy Sącz and the vicinity.
MATERIAL AND METHODS
Questionnaires on the knowledge about rich sources of vitamins and minerals were filled in by 84 women who worked in eight preschools in Nowy Sącz and the vicinity. The questionnaire was used in our previous studies (3, 6, 7, 8). The studied population was divided according to educational status. The characteristics of the studied women were presented in our previous article (4).
The SPSS 12.0 PL for Windows computer programme was used to carry out the statistical analysis. Qualitative variables were presented in contingency tables. Statistical significance was determined using Pearson's chi-square test, except for the variables with more than 20% of cells with an expected frequency of less than five. In this case, the Kruskal-Wallis H test was used. The level of significance was set at p≤0.05. Moreover, mean percentages of correct answers were calculated in order to compare the level of knowledge of the studied population.
RESULTS
Tables 1, 2 and 3 present correct answers given by the studied preschool staff to the questions concerning rich dietary sources of, respectively, vitamin A, B vitamins and vitamin C, and tables 4 and 5 show correct answers given by the studied women to the questions concerning rich dietary sources of, respectively, calcium and iron. Educational status had statistically significant influence on the answers to nine questions, including one question concerning rich sources of vitamin A, B vitamins, calcium and iron, as well as five questions concerning rich sources of vitamin C.
Table 1. The studied preschool staff's correct answers to the questions concerning rich dietary sources of vitamin A [%].
| No. | Correct answers | Education | All staff (n=84) |
| Vocational (n=21) | Secondary (n=33) | Higher (n=30) |
| 1. | Meat and meat products are not rich sources of vitamin A | 9.5 | 6.1 | 13.3 | 9.5 |
| 2. | Poultry is not a rich source of vitamin A | 9.5 | 15.2 | 10.0 | 11.9 |
| 3. | Fish is not a rich source of vitamin A | 9.5 | 15.2 | 6.7 | 10.7 |
| 4. | Sweets are not rich sources of vitamin A | 4.8 | 33.3 | 30.0 | 25.0 |
| 5. | Milk and dairy products are rich sources of vitamin A | 38.1 | 48.5 | 53.3 | 47.6 |
| 6. | Animal fat is not a rich source of vitamin A | 9.5 | 9.1 | 10.0 | 9.5 |
| 7. | Plant oils are not rich sources of vitamin A | 9.5 | 15.2 | 13.3 | 13.1 |
| 8. | Nuts, almonds, soya bean and bran are not rich sources of vitamin A | 9.5 | 18.2 | 10.0 | 13.1 |
| 9. | Blackcurrants and strawberries are not rich sources of vitamin A | 9.5 | 15.2 | 6.7 | 10.7 |
| 10. | Wholemeal bread is not a rich source of vitamin A | 9.5 | 21.2 | 13.3 | 15.5 |
Bold type denotes statistically significant results (p≤0.05).
Table 2. The studied preschool staff's correct answers to the questions concerning rich dietary sources of B vitamins [%].
| No. | Correct answers | Education | All staff (n=84) |
| Vocational (n=21) | Secondary (n=33) | Higher (n=30) |
| 1. | Meat and meat products are rich sources of B vitamins | 47.6 | 57.6 | 63.3 | 57.1 |
| 2. | Poultry is a rich source of B vitamins | 38.1 | 36.4 | 60.0 | 45.2 |
| 3. | Fish is a rich source of B vitamins | 47.6 | 63.6 | 60.0 | 58.3 |
| 4. | Sweets are not rich sources of B vitamins | 4.8 | 33.3 | 36.7 | 27.4 |
| 5. | Milk and dairy products are rich sources of B vitamins | 42.9 | 45.5 | 46.7 | 45.2 |
| 6. | Animal fat is not a rich source of B vitamins | 0.0 | 24.2 | 20.0 | 16.7 |
| 7. | Plant oils are not rich sources of B vitamins | 0.0 | 18.2 | 20.0 | 14.3 |
| 8. | Nuts, almonds, soya bean and bran are rich sources of B vitamins | 61.9 | 63.6 | 63.3 | 63.1 |
| 9. | Blackcurrants and strawberries are not rich sources of B vitamins | 0.0 | 18.2 | 13.3 | 11.9 |
| 10. | Wholemeal bread is a rich source of B vitamins | 71.4 | 57.6 | 70.0 | 65.5 |
Bold type denotes statistically significant results (p≤0.05).
Table 3. The studied preschool staff's correct answers to the questions concerning rich dietary sources of vitamin C [%].
| No. | Correct answers | Education | All staff (n=84) |
| Vocational (n=21) | Secondary (n=33) | Higher (n=30) |
| 1. | Meat and meat products are not rich sources of vitamin C | 23.8 | 36.4 | 40.0 | 34.5 |
| 2. | Poultry is not a rich source of vitamin C | 0.0 | 36.4 | 30.0 | 25.0 |
| 3. | Fish is not a rich source of vitamin C | 0.0 | 33.3 | 30.0 | 23.8 |
| 4. | Sweets are not rich sources of vitamin C | 0.0 | 39.4 | 40.0 | 29.8 |
| 5. | Milk and dairy products are not rich sources of vitamin C | 0.0 | 36.4 | 33.3 | 26.2 |
| 6. | Animal fat is not a rich source of vitamin C | 0.0 | 27.3 | 26.7 | 20.2 |
| 7. | Plant oils are not rich sources of vitamin C | 0.0 | 33.3 | 30.0 | 23.8 |
| 8. | Nuts, almonds, soya bean and bran are not rich sources of vitamin C | 0.0 | 30.3 | 16.7 | 17.9 |
| 9. | Blackcurrants and strawberries are rich sources of vitamin C | 81.0 | 93.9 | 96.7 | 91.7 |
| 10. | Wholemeal bread is not a rich source of vitamin C | 0.0 | 27.3 | 16.7 | 16.7 |
Bold type denotes statistically significant results (p≤0.05).
Table 4. The studied preschool staff's correct answers to the questions concerning rich dietary sources of calcium [%].
| No. | Correct answers | Education | All staff (n=84) |
| Vocational (n=21) | Secondary (n=33) | Higher (n=30) |
| 1. | Meat and meat products are not rich sources of calcium | 9.5 | 21.2 | 20.0 | 17.9 |
| 2. | Poultry is not a rich source of calcium | 9.5 | 30.3 | 13.3 | 19.0 |
| 3. | Fish is not a rich source of calcium | 9.5 | 12.1 | 13.3 | 11.9 |
| 4. | Sweets are not rich sources of calcium | 4.8 | 33.3 | 33.3 | 26.2 |
| 5. | Milk and dairy products are rich sources of calcium | 57.1 | 97.0 | 96.7 | 86.9 |
| 6. | Animal fat is not a rich source of calcium | 4.8 | 27.3 | 26.7 | 21.4 |
| 7. | Plant oils are not rich sources of calcium | 4.8 | 24.2 | 20.0 | 17.9 |
| 8. | Nuts, almonds, soya bean and bran are not rich sources of calcium | 4.8 | 12.1 | 13.3 | 10.7 |
| 9. | Blackcurrants and strawberries are not rich sources of calcium | 4.8 | 27.3 | 26.7 | 21.4 |
| 10. | Wholemeal bread is not a rich source of calcium | 0.0 | 15.2 | 16.7 | 11.9 |
Bold type denotes statistically significant results (p≤0.05).
Table 5. The studied preschool staff's correct answers to the questions concerning rich dietary sources of iron [%].
| No. | Correct answers | Education | All staff (n=84) |
| Vocational (n=21) | Secondary (n=33) | Higher (n=30) |
| 1. | Meat and meat products are rich sources of iron | 57.1 | 81.8 | 66.7 | 70.2 |
| 2. | Poultry is a rich source of iron | 61.9 | 57.6 | 43.3 | 53.6 |
| 3. | Fish is a rich source of iron | 52.4 | 54.5 | 50.0 | 52.4 |
| 4. | Sweets are not rich sources of iron | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| 5. | Milk and dairy products are not rich sources of iron | 0.0 | 27.3 | 33.3 | 22.6 |
| 6. | Animal fat is not a rich source of iron | 9.5 | 21.2 | 16.7 | 16.7 |
| 7. | Plant oils are not rich sources of iron | 0.0 | 24.2 | 16.7 | 15.5 |
| 8. | Nuts, almonds, soya bean and bran are rich sources of iron | 47.6 | 63.6 | 53.3 | 56.0 |
| 9. | Blackcurrants and strawberries are not rich sources of iron | 4.8 | 12.1 | 6.7 | 8.3 |
| 10. | Wholemeal bread is a rich source of iron | 47.6 | 51.5 | 60.0 | 53.6 |
Bold type denotes statistically significant results (p≤0.05).
Table 6 shows the mean percentages of correct answers given by the studied preschool staff to the questions concerning rich dietary sources of vitamins and minerals. The mean percentage of correct answers to all of the questions was 18.6% in the staff with vocational education, 34.1% in the staff with secondary education and 32.1% in the staff with higher education.
Table 6. Mean percentages of correct answers given by the studied preschool staff to the questions concerning rich dietary sources of vitamins and minerals [%].
| No. | The group of questions | Education | All staff (n=84) |
| Vocational (n=21) | Secondary (n=33) | Higher (n=30) |
| 1. | Rich dietary sources of vitamin A | 11.9 | 19.7 | 16.7 | 16.7 |
| 2. | Rich dietary sources of B vitamins | 31.4 | 41.8 | 45.3 | 40.5 |
| 3. | Rich dietary sources of vitamin C | 10.5 | 39.4 | 36.0 | 31.0 |
| 4. | Rich dietary sources of calcium | 11.0 | 30.0 | 28.0 | 24.5 |
| 5. | Rich dietary sources of iron | 28.1 | 39.4 | 34.7 | 34.9 |
| 6. | All questions | 18.6 | 34.1 | 32.1 | 29.5 |
DISCUSSION
The level of nutritional knowledge of the studied preschool staff about rich sources of vitamins and minerals was lower in comparison with the knowledge in this field in preschool children's parents from Pabianice (6) and from Nowy Sącz and the vicinity (3), as well as female basketball players (7, 8).
The percentages of correct answers given by the studied preschool staff to the questions concerning rich sources of vitamin A ranged from 4.8%, in case of the women with vocational education who knew that sweets are not a rich source of vitamin A, to 53.3%, in case of the women with higher education who stated that milk and dairy products are rich sources of vitamin A. The highest percentage of correct answers to the remaining questions was as low as 9.5% in the staff with vocational education, 33.3% in the staff with secondary education and 30.0% in the staff with higher education. The most correct answers to as many as seven questions were given by the staff with secondary education. Much higher level of knowledge on this issue was observed in both parents of preschool children from Pabianice (6) and from Nowy Sącz and the vicinity (3).
The level of knowledge in the studied preschool staff about rich sources of B vitamins was also low, however the mean percentage of correct answers was higher than in case of the answers to the questions concerning rich sources of calcium, iron, vitamin A and vitamin C. It was highly unfavourable that none of the women with vocational education answered correctly to as many as three questions. To as many as five questions, the highest percentages of correct answers were given by the women with higher education. The percentages of correct answers to these questions given by parents of preschool children from Pabianice (6) ranged from 24.6 to 57.2%, whereas in parents of preschool children from Nowy Sącz and the vicinity (3) the percentages of correct answers ranged from 25.0 to 64.2%.
The level of knowledge in the studied women about rich sources of vitamin C was lower than the knowledge on this issue in parents of preschool children from Pabianice (6) and parents of preschoolers from Nowy Sącz and the vicinity (3). However, to the question concerning blackcurrants and strawberries as rich sources of vitamin C, the highest percentage of correct answers, 91.7%, was found in the studied preschool staff, in comparison with 90.8% of preschool children's parents from Nowy Sącz and the vicinity (3) and 85.5% of preschoolers' parents from Pabianice (6). Very low mean percentages of correct answers given by the studied staff to the remaining questions resulted from the fact that none of the women with vocational education knew the answer to as many as eight questions. It is both surprising and disconcerting that the studied women's knowledge about rich sources of vitamin C was lower than in both groups of parents (3, 6) despite the fact that the information on this issue is spread by the mass media.
The studied women's knowledge about rich sources of calcium was also poor and lower than the level of knowledge observed in preschoolers' parents both from Pabianice (6) and Nowy Sącz and the vicinity (3) as well as female basketball players (7). None of the women with vocational education stated that wholemeal bread is not a rich source of calcium. To five questions the percentage of correct answers given by the staff with vocational education was only 4.8% and to three questions - only 9.5%. Moreover, only to one question the percentage of correct answers given by women with vocational education was 57.1%. Women with secondary education gave the most correct answers to the questions concerning rich sources of calcium. However, to only one question, concerning milk and dairy products as rich sources of calcium, correct answers were given by as many as 97.0% of the staff with secondary education, and to the remaining nine questions the percentages of correct answers ranged from 12.1%, to the question concerning nuts, almonds, soya bean and bran as rich sources of calcium, to 33.3% to the question concerning sweets as rich sources of calcium.
The level of knowledge about rich sources of iron was also low in the studied preschool staff. It is surprising that none of the women knew that sweets are not rich source of iron. To this question, correct answer was given by 33.3% of preschool children's parents from Nowy Sącz and the vicinity (3), 49.2% of preschoolers' parents from Pabianice (6) and 53.8% of female basketball players (8). The lowest level of knowledge on rich sources of iron was found in the staff with vocational education. None of them knew the correct answers to three questions. The most correct answers, to as many as six questions, were given by the staff with secondary education.
CONCLUSIONS
1. Nutritional knowledge about rich sources of vitamins and minerals in the studied preschool staff was insufficient, irrespective of the educational status.
2. Low level of nutritional knowledge of the studied women shows the need to organise obligatory nutrition courses for the preschool staff.
Piśmiennictwo
1. Merkiel S, Chalcarz W: Wiedza żywieniowa rodziców dzieci przedszkolnych z Nowego Sącza i okolic. 1. Wiedza ogólna o żywieniu dzieci. Żyw Człow Metab 2009; 36(2): 385-389. 2. Chalcarz W, Merkiel S: Wiedza żywieniowa rodziców dzieci przedszkolnych z Nowego Sącza i okolic. 2. Żywienie w profilaktyce chorób dietozależnych. Żyw Człow Metab 2009; 36(2): 390-395. 3. Merkiel S, Chalcarz W: Wiedza żywieniowa rodziców dzieci przedszkolnych z Nowego Sącza i okolic. Część 3. Bogate źródła składników mineralnych i witamin. Nowa Pediatria 2010; 14(1): 15-20. 4. Merkiel S, Chalcarz W: Nutritional knowledge of the preschool staff from Nowy Sącz and the vicinity. Part 1. General principles of nutrition during childhood. New Med (Wars) 2010; 14(2): 44-48. 5. Merkiel S, Chalcarz W: Nutritional knowledge of the preschool staff from Nowy Sącz and the vicinity. Part 2. Nutritional prevention of diet-related diseases. New Med (Wars) 2010; 14(2): 49-52. 6. Chalcarz W, Hodyr Z: Wiedza żywieniowa rodziców dzieci w wieku przedszkolnym. Materiały X Jubileuszowej Międzynarodowej Konferencji Naukowej: Uwarunkowania środowiskowe zdrowia dzieci. Legnica 1-2 czerwca 2001 roku, 117-121. 7. Chalcarz W, Merkiel S, Szajek G: Wiedza o bogatych źródłach wapnia w wybranych produktach spożywczych u koszykarek o różnym stopniu zaawansowania sportowego. Now Lek 2005; 74(4): 373-375. 8. Chalcarz W, Merkiel S, Szajek G: Wiedza o bogatych źródłach żelaza w wybranych produktach spożywczych u koszykarek o różnym stopniu zaawansowania sportowego. Now Lek 2005; 74(4): 376-378.
