title: Nursery nutrition in Liverpool: an exploration of practice and nutritional analysis of food provided.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To explore nutrition and food provision in pre-school nurseries in order to develop interventions to promote healthy eating in pre-school settings.
  
  
  METHODS
  Quantitative data were gathered using questionnaires and professional menu analysis.
  
  
  METHODS
  In the community, at pre-school nurseries.
  
  
  METHODS
  All 130 nurseries across Liverpool were a sent questionnaire (38 % response rate); thirty-four menus were returned for analysis (26 % response rate).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Only 21 % of respondents stated they had adequate knowledge on nutrition for pre-school children. Sixty-one per cent of cooks reported having received only a 'little' advice on healthy eating and this was often not specific to under-5 s nutrition. Fifty-seven per cent of nurseries did not regularly assess their menus for nutritional quality. The menu analysis revealed that all menus were deficient in energy, carbohydrate, Fe and Zn. Eighty-five per cent of nurseries had Na/salt levels which exceed guidelines.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Nurseries require support on healthy eating at policy, knowledge and training levels. This support should address concerns relating to both menu planning and ingredients used in food provision and meet current guidelines on food provision for the under-5 s.
authors: HM Partnerships, Burlington House, Crosby Road North, Waterloo, Liverpool L22 0QB, UK. mike.parker@hmpartnerships.co.uk
authors: Mike
authors: M
authors: Parker
authors: Ffion
authors: F
authors: Lloyd-Williams
authors: Gemma
authors: G
authors: Weston
authors: Julie
authors: J
authors: Macklin
authors: Kate
authors: K
authors: McFadden
mesh_terms: D002656:Child Day Care Centers / Q000592:standards*; D002664:Child Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004032:Diet / Q000592:standards; D017144:Focus Groups; D005522:Food Services / Q000592:standards*; D017408:Guidelines as Topic; D006801:Humans; D008612:Menu Planning; D015337:Multicenter Studies as Topic; D009724:Nurseries, Infant; D015596:Nutrition Assessment; D018673:Nutrition Policy; D009752:Nutritional Status; D009753:Nutritive Value; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires