Impact of nutrition on the adaptive functioning of disabled children

The article presents the results of an analysis of the nutrition of children aged 7‑18 with disabilities and disabilities who stay around the clock at the Ishim boarding school. An assessment of the organization of children’s nutrition at school was carried out using menus and diet control sheets, supplemented by the results of a survey of children using the 24‑hour nutrition reproduction method. As a result, the organization of children’s nutrition is recognized as conforming to regulatory documents, with the exception of the duration of meals, which are not regulated in school documents. When supplementing the study of nutrition with the 24‑hour reproduction method, significant violations of energy and macronutrient consumption are noted — up to 60‑160 % of the standards due to a decrease in students’ consumption of bread, fish, salads (in school meals) and consumption of sweets brought from home. In 79.4 % of children, the daily caloric intake was lower than the standard, protein deficiency was detected in 70.5 % of children. This is especially true for older students. Physical development was assessed by the body mass index, and the psychofunctional state was assessed by the indicators of the adaptive potential of the cardiovascular system according to R. M. Baevsky, stress level according to Y. R. Sheikh — Zadeh, functional state according to the Robinson index. As a result of the cluster analysis (k-means), the following hidden trends in the formation of the nutritional status of children with disabilities were revealed: malnutrition, normal physical development and a deteriorated mental and functional state in older schoolchildren, mainly girls; insufficient nutrition and good indicators of physical development and psychofunctional state in schoolchildren of average age for the studied group (10 years); overeating, obesity and good psychofunctional state in younger schoolchildren, mainly boys. Recommendations are given on rationing the duration of children’s meals in educational institutions, taking into account the identified trends in the nutritional status of children when organizing meals, and strengthening hygienic education with children and parents on healthy nutrition.