Health behavior of families having preschool-age children

The aim of this study is to assess health behavior among families growing up the preschool children. The study was performed in 2007 in Kaunas kindergartens selected randomly. The anonymous questionnaires were filled in by 271 families. Mothers answered to the questions more frequently than fathers did. Fathers were less educated than mothers. It was estimated that preschool-age children used fresh vegetables and fruits insufficiently. Two-thirds of children ate fresh vegetables at least once a day, and only 1 of 20 – 3 times a day. Children ate fresh fruits more frequently than vegetables: every tenth child used them three times a day. The tendency of relation between parents’ education and frequency of eating fresh vegetables and fruits was established. More frequently they were used in families where parents had university education. Physical activity of examined families was insufficient. Half of the parents have never done their morning exercises, and about half of the preschool-age children did their exercises rarely (12.5%) or never (41.4%). The majority of children exercised every day in families where fathers had incomplete secondary/secondary education. Children spend much time passively watching TV or playing with computer. Harmful habits among parents are spread widely in the families: more than one-third of fathers and every thirteenth mother smoke regularly; alcohol is used in the majority of families.