Endocrine Abstracts

Introduction: The global prevalence of childhood obesity has surged to alarming levels, presenting a critical health issue. In order to promote a healthy lifestyle, evaluating the nutritional knowledge of children becomes imperative. We conducted our study aiming to assess the levels of dietary awareness in a sample of Tunisian children aged 9 to 11 years.

Methods: We conducted a multicenter cross-sectional study from December 2021 to June 2022, at the National Center for School and University Medicine in Tunis and five randomly selected nurseries in Ariana governorate. The study involved 315 children aged from 9 to 11 years. We evaluated participants’ nutritional knowledge using an Arabic version of the validated French nutritional questionnaire QuesCA 9-11. The maximum score is 9/9. We developed the Arabic version following established translation and questionnaire validation guidelines.

Results: The participants’ mean age was 9.9±1 years. A slight male predominance was observed (55%). The majority of children (81%) had a normal weight, while 8% were classified as obese, and 6% were underweight. The average score on the questionnaire was 5.8±0.6/9. Sixty percent of participants achieved a fair score (i.e. score ranging between 4 and 6/9). Approximately, one-third (31%) obtained a good score (i.e. score ≥ 7/9). Remarkably, 2.2% of the sample answered all items correctly, achieving the maximum score of 9/9, reflecting a strong nutritional knowledge. A minority (9%) received a poor score (i.e. score ≤ 3/9). Notably, one child among the 315 included had a score of 0/9. Furthermore, the items related to the theme of proteins, fruits and vegetables, and beverages were the easiest to answer. On average, 86% of responses to these items were correct. In contrast, the item related to the theme of starchy foods was the most challenging, with only 31.4% of correct responses.

Conclusion: Our results underscore the importance of targeted interventions to enhance nutritional education. This knowledge can serve as a foundation for developing strategies aimed at promoting healthier lifestyles and preventing childhood obesity in the Tunisian context.