Dietary preferences of children in the Nenets Autonomous Area considering ethnic affiliation

BACKGROUND: Children living in the harsh climatic conditions of the Arctic zone are among the most vulnerable age groups. Among all the constituent entities of the Arctic zone of the Russian Federation, the Nenets Autonomous Area is considered a high-risk territory for primary morbidity in the pediatric population across all classes of diseases. The dietary preferences of children residing in the Nenets Autonomous Area therefore warrant special attention.

AIM: The work aimed to identify the dietary preferences of the pediatric population of the Nenets Autonomous Area, taking into account ethnic affiliation.

METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted to assess the frequency of food consumption and dietary preferences in children aged 7–17 years attending general educational institutions in the Nenets Autonomous Area. Two groups were formed according to ethnic affiliation: group 1—children from the indigenous population; group 2—children from the non-indigenous population. Relative frequencies were used to describe qualitative variables, with Pearson’s χ² test for contingency tables and Fisher’s exact test applied to compare differences between groups and to clarify differences within the tables. A p-value of 0.05 was taken as the threshold for statistical significance.

RESULTS: A total of 809 children participated in the survey: 209 in group 1 and 600 in group 2. Discrepancies were noted in the frequency of consumption of certain food categories by the pediatric population. In addition, an influence of ethnic affiliation on dietary preferences was identified. The proportion of children in group 1 who more frequently included fish, cereals, pasta, legumes, pickled vegetables, berry compotes and fruit drinks, and juices in their diet was higher compared to group 2 (p < 0.001). The proportion of children in group 2 who consumed fruit daily was higher than in group 1 (p < 0.001). Daily school diets in the Nenets Autonomous Area more often contained meat, milk, white bread, fruit, and sweet pastries compared to fish, fermented dairy products, rye bread, vegetables, and berries (p < 0.05–0.01). Children in group 1 preferred reindeer meat, beetroot, cloudberry, lingonberry, and bilberry, whereas those in group 2 preferred beef, pork, poultry (chicken), and cranberry.

CONCLUSION: Ethnic affiliation influences dietary preferences. The diet of children in the Nenets Autonomous Area does not correspond to the historically established polar type typical of the Arctic zone. When designing diets, it is important to use food products derived from the local traditional raw material base and to take into account the dietary preferences of ethnic groups.