A comparison of the BODY mass index and nutritional behaviors of pre-school children WHO were cared and not cared by their grand-grants in the past

Objective: This study was conducted to compare the body mass index (BMI) and nutritional behaviors of preschool children who were and were not cared for by their grandmothers in the past. Method: This descriptive comparative study was conducted with 120 preschool children aged 3-6 years who voluntarily participated in the study, who were cared for by their grandmothers, and 150 who were not cared for by their grandmothers. Data were collected with Personal Information Form, Child Eating Behavior Questionnaire (CEBQ) and Food Consumption Frequency Form filled by parents. Descriptive statistics, Pearson chi-square test, Kappa test and Mann Whitney U test were used to evaluate the data obtained. Results: As a result of the research, the prevalences of overweight and obese were found to be 17.5% and 17.3%, respectively, in children who were and were not cared for by their grandmothers. No statistically significant difference was found as a result of the comparison of BMIs of preschool children who were and were not cared for by their grandmothers (p>0.05). When the CEBQ scores of preschool children who were and were not cared for by their grandmothers were compared, a statistically significant difference was found in the sub-dimension of food craving (p<0.05). Accordingly, children who are cared for by their grandmothers have higher FE scores. A statistically significant difference was found in the consumption of flavored milk, whole wheat bread and types, mayonnaise-ketchup and fresh fruit juice consumption of preschool children who were and were not taken care of by their grandmothers (p<0.05). Conclusion: In this study, although no difference was found between the BMIs of children who were and were not taken care of by their grandmothers, it was determined that there were differences in some feeding behaviors. As a result, it is recommended that grandmothers be included in the data collection process in future studies and that plans should be made to include grandmothers in child nutrition initiatives. Key words: Preschool period, nutritional behaviors, obesity, BMI, grandmother