Epidemiological and Hygienic Aspects of Nutrition at Educational Institutions in Sakha Republic (Yakutia)

Educational institutions make the only system of public education which covers all children and adolescents of the country during a long period of time. The pupils spend the most part of a day (more than 70%) at school. The time of their education coincides with the period of physical growth and development when a child’s body is most sensitive to impacts of the external environment. High growth rates and intensive metabolism demand constant and sufficient inflow of nutrients with food.

But recent research conducted by the Research Institute of Nutrition in various Russian regions show that the children and adolescent diet significantly lacks a whole range of nutrients, including vitamins A,C, B2, iron, calcium, iodine, polyunsaturated fatty acids, and dietary fiber. Resulting from dietary disorders, the health state and anthropometric characteristics of children and youths deteriorate significantly. Health indices of students start deteriorating at elementary school. Presently, less than 5% of elementary school pupils are considered absolutely healthy. In senior grades, absolutely health pupils make about 2% [1].

The Sakha Republic (Yakutia) is the largest Russian region in terms of its territory and has the lowest population density; in 2012, its population was 955.5 thousand people, including 620.5 thousand urban residents and

335.9 thousand rural residents. In 2012, the natural population increase equaled to 8.0 thousand people. The demographic indexes in the Sakha Republic (Yakutia) have increased twice as compared with those of 2000, notably, the natural population growth index (per 1000 people ) was 4.0 in 2000 and 8.5 in 2012 [2].

In 2013, common sickness rates among children aged 0 through 18 years decreased by 10.2 per 1000 children compared with rates in 2012. In 2013, the occurrence of digestive system diseases among children increased by 20.4 per 1000 children compared with the data for 2012 [3].

Feeding children and adolescents with high­quality food, especially, at educational institutions is one of the most important issues in regions under extreme climates, where many families have low income and the structure of population feeding has specific regional features.

Nutritional deficiencies and high sickness prevail among school­aged children in the Sakha Republic (Yakutia).

1. Food of the children and teenagers who are trained in RS (Ya) educational institutions / U.M. Lebedeva [et al.] – Yakutsk: The Dani Almas company, 2009. – P. 5.

2. Health Care in the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia): Statistical collection // TO FGSS on RS(Ya). – Yakutsk, 2013. – P. 15.

3. About a condition of sanitary and epidemiologic wellbeing of the population in the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) in 2013: The state report / E.A. Kolesova edition, etc.; resp. for ed. E.A. Kolesov, O.A. Ushkareva. – Yakutsk: JSC PKF Feniks, 2014. – P. 37-42.

4. About a condition of sanitary and epidemiologic wellbeing of the population in the Russian Federation in 2012: The state report. – M.: Federal Service for the Oversight of Consumer Protection and Welfare, 2013. – P. 40.

5. Data on a sanitary condition of the territorial subject of the Russian Federation: a branch annual reporting statistical form №18 for 20112013.