MEALTRAIN: What Do Inpatient Hospitalized Children Choose to Eat?

Received 10 June 2009; received in revised form 23 September 2009; accepted 12 November 2009. published online 08 February 2010.

Data from the menu ordering system was used to calculate servings/child/day of food groups ordered by pediatric inpatients. The children ordered a mean of 5.0 ± 0.56 servings of fruits and vegetables/day, which decreased to 3.5 ± 0.27 servings when juice was removed. “Foods-to-limit” were ordered 3.8 ± 0.31 times/day. Interventions to improve healthier choices are warranted.

CFG, Canada's Food Guide

a Division of Cardiology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

b Division of Endocrinology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

c Division of Clinical Dietetics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

d Division of Nutrition Services, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

e Department of Pediatrics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

f Hospital for Sick Children, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Reprint requests: Dr Jill Hamilton, The Hospital for Sick Children, Division of Endocrinology, 555 University Ave, Toronto, ON, Canada M5G 1X8.

Funded by the Division of Endocrinology, The Hospital for Sick Children. The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

PII: S0022-3476(09)01154-8

doi:10.1016/j.jpeds.2009.11.045

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