title: Low adherence of Swiss children to national dietary guidelines.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Dietary guidelines aim to inform people of the types of foods and quantities they should consume each day or week to promote and maintain health. The aim of this study was to describe children's dietary behaviors in terms of adherence to the Swiss Society for Nutrition (SSN) dietary guidelines and possible determinants.
  
  
  METHODS
  A cross-sectional study was conducted in September 2010 with 568 children aged 6-12 years old living in Ticino Switzerland. Food intake was collected using 7-day food logs. Adherence with the dietary guidelines from the SSN was assessed according to age group.
  
  
  RESULTS
  With the exception of fish and cereal/potato intake (adherence rates of 68.5% and 47.9%, respectively), adherence to SSN guidelines was low: 26.9% for meat; 22.7% for eggs; 10.4% for fruit; 9.5% for sweets, snacks & soft drinks; 3.5% for milk & dairy, and 0% for vegetables. Multivariate analysis showed no consistent association between the child or their parent's socio-demographic characteristics and adherence to SSN guidelines. Girls had a higher likelihood of adhering with fruit and meat guidelines: multivariate adjusted odds ratio (95% confidence interval) 1.98 (1.10-3.56) and 1.80 (1.08-2.99), respectively. Children aged 10 to 12 had a lower likelihood of adhering with cereals and potatoes 0.48 (0.29-0.78), and a higher likelihood of adhering with the guideline for eggs 1.78 (1.00-3.15).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Dietary intake of Ticinese children shows poor adherence with SSN guidelines. Given the lack of specific socio-demographic factors associated with adherence, population-wide interventions to improve dietary intake are necessary.
authors.affiliation: Università della Svizzera italiana, Institute for Public Communication, Lugano, Switzerland.
authors.forename: L Suzanne
authors.initials: LS
authors.lastname: Suggs
authors.affiliation: Università della Svizzera italiana, Institute for Public Communication, Lugano, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Sara
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Della Bella
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV), Lausanne, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Pedro
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Marques-Vidal
keywords: Children; Dietary guidelines; Eating behavior; Epidemiology; Guideline adherence