Characteristics of actual nutrition and its specificity in the child population, taking into account the territory of residence

Introduction. Taking into account key activities of federal project «Health for Everyone», preservation of children’s health is of particular importance.

Aim is to assess the state of actual nutrition in school-age children living in territory of small indigenous peoples of Siberia.

Materials and methods. The study was conducted among children living in Okinsky district of Republic of Buryatia. Assessment of actual nutrition was carried out by questionnaire, processing of results using software. Statistical significance was assumed at p < 0.05.

Results. Assessment of optimality of proportion of macronutrients in structure of energy value in children’s diets showed that proportion of protein corresponds to norm, with exception of diets in 11–14 years girls with a low body mass index (BMI). There is a deficiency in the share of carbohydrates in the Energy Value (EV) with a surplus in the share of fats, saturated fatty acids, omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) and added sugar. In the lipid profile of children’s diets, the optimal proportion of PUFAs in EV is noted with an imbalance in the ratio of ≥ 3 and ≥ 6 PUFAs.

Limitations. Since information was obtained during a one-time examination, this does not allow to unambiguously prove causality of causes of overweight and obesity, most of which are multifactorial in nature.

Conclusion. The identified features of actual nutrition in children require coordinated work of an interdisciplinary team of experts to find an adequate solution in formation of optimal nutrition.

Compliance with ethical standards. The study complied with the World Medical Association’s Declaration of Helsinki (current version). Prior to conducting the study, approval was obtained from the Bioethics Committee of the East-Siberian Institute of Medical and Ecological Research (Protocol No. 2 dated June 11, 2024).

Contribution:
Bogdanova O.G. – concept and design of the study, collection of material, analysis and interpretation of data, writing and editing of the text;
Urbanova E.Z. – organization of the study, collecting material, statistical data processing, writing the primary version of the text;
Mylnikova I.V. – study design, text editing;
Mokhosoeva A.A. – collecting material, statistical data processing.
All co-authors – approval of the final version of the article, responsibility for the integrity of all parts of the article.

Acknowledgments. The authors express their gratitude: for the opportunity to conduct the study, the director of the Orlik Secondary School B.D. Sharastepanov, the teaching staff of the school and all participants in the study.

Conflict of interest. The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Funding. The study was carried out at the expense of a grant from the Russian Science Foundation No. 25-25-00092, https://rscf.ru/project/25-25-00092/

Received: July 7, 2025/ Revised: March 11, 2026 / Accepted: March 24, 2026 / Published: June 18, 2026

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