摘要：Objective. To describe dietary habits and related geographic and socio-demographic characteristics among children aged 8-9 years in Italy. Materials and methods. Data from the 2012 national nutritional surveillance system collected from children, parents and teachers, have been linked to determine the chil- dren's eating habits. Logistic regression analyses were used to investigate the association between incorrect dietary habits and their potential predictors. Results. Of the 46 307 children, 8.6% skipped breakfast, 48.8% did not eat vegetables and 28.7% did not eat fruit daily, 64.8% ate an abundant mid-morning snack, 41.4% drank sugary beverages and 12.5% drank carbonated beverages at least once a day. Three or more incorrect habits were found in 43.9% of the children. Incorrect dietary habits were more common among children with lower socio-economic conditions, who were resident in the South of the country and who spent more time watching TV. Conclusion. In Italy, unhealthy dietary habits are common among children. The defi- ciencies identified may well be a harbinger of future public health problems.
