Evaluation of the place of local foods and beverages of Kars in the nutrition of school-age children

This study was planned and carried out to evaluate the place of local foods and beverages in the nutrition of school-age children in Kars. This study was conducted between April 2023 and June 2023, in a total of three public primary schools, one in the city center of Kars and two in its districts, with the participation of 100 school-age children, 38 boys and 62 girls, aged 7-12. A survey form was applied to determine the general characteristics of children and families, children's eating habits, daily caloric and nutrient intake, screen usage, anthropometric measurements, and local food consumption habits of children and their families (anthropometric measurements were taken by the researcher). The Child Physical Activity Questionnaire (ÇFAA) was used to determine the physical activity level of children. The mean age of boys participating in the study is 8.6±1.48 years, and that of girls is 9.2±1.44 years. The percentage of families consuming local food at home is 98.0% and the percentage of consuming local food outside the home is 42.0%. It was determined that the longer the family lived in Kars, the more local food consumption at home increased (p<0.05). The percentage of consumption of local food by all family members at home/out of home was found to be 64.0%. The most common reasons why families do not consume local dishes are: not knowing how to cook the food, not appealing to the palate, usually eaten by family elders, and family members not liking it. It was determined that 86.0% of the children participating in this study (M: 86.8%, F: 85.5%) consumed local food, and 14.0% did not consume local food. Among the local dishes most preferred by children; hangel (77.0%), kete (68.0%), Erişte Aşı (58.0%), Kuru Üzümlü Pilav (52.0%) and Evelik Çorbası (51.0%). The study found that there was no statistically significant relationship between age and local food consumption and the number of local food types consumed (p>0.05). However, there was no statistically significant difference between height according to age, Body Mass Index (BMI) and waist circumference classification, caloric intake, averages of macronutrients and micronutrients, and local food consumption (p> 0.05). In this study, it was found that children who consumed food in the Kars region (3.4±0.65) were more physically active than children who did not consume it (3.0±0.62) (p<0.05). As a result, it is necessary to determine the place of local dishes and food culture in the nutrition of school-age children and to determine their positive and negative effects on growth and development. For this, more comprehensive studies are needed. Keywords: School age childhood, healthy nutrition, local food, food culture