Sodium Intake Assessment in a Sample of Australian Pre‐School Children Attending Long Day Care

BackgroundApproximately half of Australian pre‐school children attend Long Day Care (LDC). Lunch is regularly provided at these centres and children may typically consume 50% of their total daily energy and nutrient requirements whilst in LDC.AimsTo determine the sodium content of lunches provided and sodium intake in a sample of Australian pre‐school children attending LDC.MethodsA convenience sample of pre‐school children attending LDC from the Geelong Region in the state of Victoria, Australia was recruited. Individual children's sodium intake was estimated by a validated visual plate waste scale method on one lunch day and the sodium content of lunches consumed was also assessed.ResultsNinety‐five pre‐school children (50 males) aged between 3–4 years from 7 LDC centres were assessed. At five centres lunch was served by staff. Children served themselves at the remaining two centres. The mean sodium content of the staff served lunches was 294 (SD 126) mg; range 179–480 mg and the mean sodium content of self‐served lunches was 196 (83) mg; range 137–255 mg. Between the two serving approaches there was no difference (p=>0.05) and average sodium intake was 265 (118) mg.ConclusionThese findings show that centre provision and pre‐school children's consumption of sodium varies across LDC centres, representing ~13% to ~50% of the recommended Upper Level for sodium for this age group. LDC settings may provide important opportunities to reduce pre‐school children's sodium consumption to acceptable levels.Support or Funding InformationNothing to Declare