A study conducted at the University of Helsinki indicates that experiences related to war can affect children's eating habits.
Professor of Nutrition Maijaliisa Erkkola's research group investigated the prevalence of disruptions in eating behaviour in children living in Ukraine in cooperation with the O.M. Marzieiev Institute for Public Health of the National Academy of Medical Sciences of Ukraine. A total of 4,854 parents participated in the survey.
Based on the parents' responses, eating behaviour in two-thirds of children changed during the war, with the highest prevalence of changes seen among children between the ages of 5 and 10. The most common disruptions in eating behaviour observed during the war were associated with food cravings, food fussiness, aversion to certain foods and no or decreased appetite. Disruptions in eating behaviour were particularly brought about by food insecurity, geographical displacement and separation from close relatives.
"The findings highlight a significant and strong connection between various war-related experiences and increasing disruptions in eating behaviour," says Dina Fedorova, a visiting scholar in the group from the Department of Restaurant and Craft (Food) Technologies, State University of Trade and Economics in Kyiv, Ukraine.
In a follow-up study, entitled 'Well-being of Ukrainian Children' and launched in January 2025, the researchers survey how Ukrainian refugee families adapt to their new cultural and culinary environment. The study focuses particularly on children and examines both disruptions in their eating behaviour caused by war-related stress and dietary changes.
"We investigate stress related to the war, eating behaviour, adaptation to a new culinary culture and food consumption in the school environment among Ukrainian refugee children living in Finland. We compare data pertaining to different groups, refugee children in Finland and children living in Ukraine as well as Finnish children of the same age, and assess how refugee status affects food consumption and eating behaviour," Erkkola says.
Professor Erkkola's group will continue its research on wellbeing related to the war in Ukraine, now among families who have fled from Ukraine to Finland. In Finland, the collaboration partner is the Ukrainian Association in Finland.
Original article
Gulich M, Fedorova D, Petrenko O, Vepsäläinen H, Erkkola M. War exposure and changes in eating behaviours in Ukrainian school-aged children: A cross-sectional online survey. Matern Child Nutr 2025;21(1):e13729. doi: 10.1111/mcn.13729
