DYNAMICS OF CHANGES IN THE NUTRITION OF SCHOOLCHILDREN AND STUDENTS OF THE REPUBLIC OF CRIMEA AND ITS INFLUENCE ON BODY WEIGHT

Nutrition is an important component of the harmonious development of schoolchildren and students. Unhealthy diet is a risk factor for underweight, overweight and obesity. Objective. To identify changes in the diet of schoolchildren and students in the Republic of Crimea and its impact on body weight in dynamics for 2020 2024. Material and methods. The study involved 600 respondents divided into 2 groups: schoolchildren (n = 300) and students (n = 300). Variation statistics methods were used to analyze the data. Results. It was determined that only 57.8% of participants ate regularly (3-4 times a day). It was found that excessive meat intake led to obesity, and insu–cient meat consumption was a risk factor for underweight. An increase in †sh consumption by 5.2% was revealed. Only 18.8% of schoolchildren and 13% of students eat enough vegetables. Vegetable consumption reduces the incidence of overweight. The frequency of consumption of sugar-containing products (by 8% among schoolchildren and by 2% among students) and carbonated beverages (by 5% and 2%, respectively) increased, which led to an increase in the incidence of obesity. The proportion of schoolchildren with a normal body mass index (BMI) decreased by 3.8%, and students - by 3.9%. Conclusion. During the study period, there were changes in the nature of nutrition of young people, which led to an increase in overweight and obesity, a decrease in underweight among schoolchildren and its growth among students. Consumption of dairy and †sh products increased. In general, young people ate irregularly, the consumption of meat and vegetables decreased, and the consumption of sugar-containing products and carbonated beverages increased.