• Mrs. Meena kumari
• Ms. Nasreen Begum
• Charu Agarwal
• Sejal Harkut

Background: Healthy eating behaviors in childhood are very important. It helps prevent malnutrition, growth retardation, and acute child nutrition problems, in addition to preventing chronic, long-term health problems such as cardiovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes, cancer, obesity, and osteoporosis. Parents are mostly responsible on this subject (Nicklas, 1995; Nicklas & Hayes, 2008). Parents are effective on their children’s eating behaviors and preferences. Especially, mothers are the role models of their children about eating behaviors. Objective: Purpose of this study is to assess mothers’ nutritional knowledge of their children’s nutrition needs and requirements and their practices regarding packing healthy lunches and dietary habits of their school going children aged between 5-15 yrs Method: A pre tested structured questionnaire was given to the mothers to determine their nutritional knowledge and attitudes and behaviors about their children’s nutrition. Total 480 mothers were interviewed via questionnaire method. Results indicated that many of the mothers who have higher nutritional knowledge level pack healthy foods from all the food groups and their children have normal weight. Also I was observed that a large percentage of children consume food while watching television which is not considered healthy. Result: The mothers who have higher level nutritional knowledge feed their children more with vegetable, fruit, legumes, and less sugared drinks such as pops, juice and fast foods than the mothers who have lower level of nutritional knowledge. Also, higher nutritional knowledge level mothers avoid giving the foods which contains high sugars to their children, and believe more the knowledge about nutrition-health. Mothers’ nutrition knowledge level affects children’s eating habits. Conclusion: Diet and nutrition of children influence their current health status and scholastic performance and also have long term consequences reaching well into their adulthood. The awareness of good eating habits and nutritional practices among mothers of school going children is very essential.

childhood Nutrition, Nutritional Knowledge, packed lunches, school going children, importance of healthy eating.

"A Survey On Nutrition Knowledge And Practices Regarding Their Children's Nutritional Needs And Dietary Habits Among Mothers of School Going Children (5-15 yrs)", International Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research (www.jetir.org), ISSN:2349-5162, Vol.6, Issue 6, page no.1004-1019, July-2019, Available :http://www.jetir.org/papers/JETIR1906S77.pdf

"A Survey On Nutrition Knowledge And Practices Regarding Their Children's Nutritional Needs And Dietary Habits Among Mothers of School Going Children (5-15 yrs)", International Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research (www.jetir.org | UGC and issn Approved), ISSN:2349-5162, Vol.6, Issue 6, page no. pp1004-1019, July-2019, Available at : http://www.jetir.org/papers/JETIR1906S77.pdf