The Food and Nutrition Security for Manitoba Youth (FANS) study: rationale, methods, dietary intakes and body mass index

Abstract

Background Good nutrition and access to healthy foods are essential for child growth and development. However, there are concerns that Canadian children do not have a healthy diet, which may be related to dietary choices as well as lack of access to healthy foods. The FANS (Food and Nutrition Security for Children and Youth) study examined the nutrition and food security status of youth in the province of Manitoba, Canada. This paper describes methods, dietary intakes, and body mass index for the FANS study. Methods This cross-sectional study included 1587 Manitoba grade nine students who completed a self-administered web-based survey. Data was collected on demographic characteristics, dietary intake (24-h recall), food behaviors, food security, and self-report health indicators. Dietary data was compared to national dietary guidelines (Dietary Reference Intakes and Canada’s Food Guide). Mean and median nutrient and food group intakes were calculated with corresponding measures of variability. Chi-square tests compared percentage of respondents not meeting key nutrients and food groups. Significant differences in percentage of total servings for each food group were determined by a Kruskal–Wallis test, and differences between different caloric groups were assessed using Dunn’s test for post-hoc comparisons. Results Half of study respondents were female (50.5%). Median energy intake was higher in males (2281 kcal) compared with females (1662 kcal), with macronutrient distribution of 52%, 16%, and 32% for carbohydrates, protein, and fats respectively. Most participants consumed inadequate fibre (94%), vitamin D (90%), and calcium (73%), while median sodium intakes exceeded recommendations for males but not females. A majority of participants did not meet Health Canada’s recommendations for food group servings: Vegetables and Fruit (93%), Milk and Alternatives (74%), Meat and Alternatives (57%) and Grain Products (43%). Other Foods, including sugar sweetened beverages and juice, were consumed by most participants. Higher energy consumers had a greater proportion of food servings coming from Other Foods. 72.1% of students were classified as having a healthy weight and 25% were classified as overweight or obese. Conclusion Poor dietary intakes and body mass index values indicate an urgent need for policy and program strategies to support healthy eating habits and food awareness in Manitoba youth.

Geographic Comparison of Dietary Intake and Quality in Manitoba Adolescents

“…Higher prevalence of poor nutrition indicators and body mass index in northern and rural areas (reported elsewhere) [25,40] may be related to factors such as food security. In particular, northern and some rural Manitoba communities have high rates of food insecurity due to reduced access to healthy foods, and high prices [4,41,42].…”

“…Ethics approval for this study was obtained from the Joint Faculty Research Ethics Board at the University of Manitoba (protocol HS2166 J2018:040), and all experimental methods were performed in accordance with the relevant guidelines and regulations. Detailed methods for the FANS study have been published elsewhere [25].…”

Manitoba Grade 9 Students’ Satisfaction with Life

“…The student well-being data reported in this paper were collected as part of a larger crosssectional study on youth food and nutrition security, the Food and Nutrition Security for Manitoba Youth (FANS) study (see Slater et al, 2022). The FANS study took place in the province of Manitoba, Canada, which has a population of 1,342,153; the capital city of Winnipeg is the largest urban centre with a population of 749,607 (Statistics Canada, 2023).…”

Attitudes, subjective norms and perceived behavioural control factors influencing Canadian secondary school students’ milk and milk alternatives consumption

“…Overall, Canadians' milk and milk alternatives (MMA) and Ca consumption is low, and adolescents and girls are particularly at risk of inadequate intake (1)(2)(3)(4)(5) . MMA, including fluid milk, milk products and fortified plant-based alternatives, account for more than 38 % of dietary Ca consumed by Canadians and have been recommended as part of a healthy diet (4,6) .…”

“…These trends suggest adolescents represent a key demographic to understanding inadequate Ca and MMA intake. Besides age disparities, some research suggests that gender disparities are also associated with MMA consumption among adolescents (1)(2)(3) . Among Canadian adolescents, disproportionately more girls were not consuming recommended servings of MMA compared with boys (1)(2)(3) .…”