Children from low-income families in Hong Kong are not getting enough nutrients in at least one of five categories of food, with nine out of 10 children not consuming enough dairy, a survey has found.

The poor diet could affect their physical and mental development, the People Service Centre said on Saturday.

The charity, formed in 2002 to help the underprivileged in Hong Kong, interviewed 246 children aged six to 11 from low-income families between June and September last year.

The survey, released on Saturday, found that all the children did not meet the standards for sufficient intake of at least one of the five categories of food, including grains, vegetables, fruits, meat, and milk and other alternatives.

The survey showed 38 of the 246 children interviewed did not have sufficient intake of all the five food categories.

Among them, 38 children, or 15 per cent of the total, did not consume enough in all of the categories.

The survey used guidelines from the Centre for Health Protection, which showed that, for example, a child aged six to 11 should eat at least two servings each of vegetables and fruit daily. However, findings revealed nearly three in five of them did not eat enough grains, and about the same proportion did not have enough vegetables. Two in three did not have an adequate amount of fruit.

About one in seven children ate less meat than required, but nearly two in five were found to have eaten too much meat. The survey team said this highlighted the nutritional imbalances among the children.

The category for milk and other alternatives recorded the worst results, with more than nine in 10 children not having enough nutrients.

The survey also found that the children’s food preferences and their parents’ knowledge on nutrition were the major reasons behind the imbalance. Other factors included the parents’ cooking skills, food choices and prices of ingredients.

“The impact of insufficient nutrient intake may not be seen in the short term. But in the long term, it will affect the health of the children not only when they are young, but also after they grow up,” said Yuen Hoi-kei, a member of the survey team.

Yuen, a registered dietitian, said nutritional deficiencies and imbalances could lead to health problems in children, including weight issues and constipation. Bone health and height could be affected, and the risks of chronic illnesses such as high blood pressure, hyperglycemia, hyperlipidemia, cardiovascular diseases and cancer could be increased.

The survey found that nearly two in three children had constipation.

Yuen added that changes in children’s height and weight as a result of the nutritional imbalance would also affect their social skills and self-confidence.

“Nutritional imbalances will lead to both physical and mental problems in children,” she said.

After interviewing the children, the survey team, including registered dietitians with the Hong Kong Community Dietitian Association, also provided free nutrition evaluations and consultation sessions for them and their parents.

The three 30-minute sessions helped improve the children’s nutritional intake, including alleviating their constipation problems, the team said.

The charity suggested authorities set up free one-on-one consultation services with dietitians for children, and provide assistance at district health centres for children with insufficient nutritional intake and their parents.

It also urged the government to provide funding for schools and other groups to educate children on balanced diets, and subsidise the city’s primary schools so pupils could have nutritious breakfasts.