Parents’ perspective on probiotics in preschool children: A cross-sectional survey
Article Category: Original scientific article
Publicado en línea: 03 ene 2023
Páginas: 5 - 12
Recibido: 11 abr 2022
Aceptado: 02 nov 2022
DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/sjph-2023-0002
Palabras clave
© 2023 National Institute of Public Health, Slovenia, published by Sciendo
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.
Introduction
The composition of the human gut microbiota, which can also be regulated by the consumption of probiotics, has a significant impact on host health. The main source of probiotics can be foods such as fermented foods, yogurts, fermented drinks and/or probiotic supplements. While parents play a critical role in ensuring the well-being of their children, this cross-sectional study is focused on parents’ perspectives regarding the use of probiotics in the preschool period.
Methods
The self-administered online survey consisted of 24 questions arranged across two thematic sections. The final data analysis included 102 parents (96% F; 4% M), aged between 22 and 47. Their children were aged up to 6 years.
Results
The majority (52%) of the parents were familiar with the term ‘probiotics’ and 86.3% were including probiotics in their children’s diet at the time of the survey. The main source was probiotic food (36.3%), of which yoghurt was the most commonly consumed (87.2%). The inclusion of probiotic supplements in a child’s diet was positively correlated with parents’ consumption and level of knowledge about the term ‘probiotics’. Digestive tract-related disorders were the most frequently reported motive for the initial introduction of probiotics into children’s diet.
Conclusions
Based on our study results, parents are familiar with probiotics and include them in their children’s diet. However, an attempt should be made to close the gaps in parents’ knowledge that our research identified. Further studies are needed to determine the recommended amount of probiotic foods, as well as strategies to educate parents about the benefits of including probiotic foods in their children’s diet.