EDUC6163 - Week3 - Research in the Child Care

What Makes Children Hyper?  Salt or Sugar?

Several years ago, the parents of my child care were at odds over the salt/sugar debate.  Some of the parents wanted us to eliminate sugar from the diets of the children.  Others wanted salt eliminated.  Both groups of parents insisted that their children were leaving child care hyper, and blamed the hyperactivity of the diet provided at the child care.

With the permission of the parents, we created a two week rotating diet.  The same foods were introduced on the same days of the week, for two weeks.  The first two weeks, the meals were prepared with no sugar added, but with normal levels of salt.  The second two weeks, the meals were prepared with normal levels of sugar and salt.  The last two weeks, the meals were prepared with normal amounts of  sugar, and salt was eliminated.

The outcome of the informal child care study was documented and reported to all families involved.  Children’s attention spans during coloring time, circle time, and sensory play, at the time frame of one, two, and three hours after meals were calculated.  The attention span showed no reduction on sugar free weeks one and two, with totals consistent with weeks three and four, when sugar and salt were both used.  Weeks five and six, with elimination of salt, showed a marked increase in attention span in all three time frames.  It was interesting to note that the day high salt soup was served during week s one and three, that attention span was reduced as compared to other days in weeks one through four. 

The conclusion of the study determined sugar served with meals did not affect the attention span of the child care children.  Salt reduction in the meals of the children increased attention span.  Final conclusion, salt, not sugar, caused the hyperactivity in children. 

To this day, we do not add salt to any food prepared for the child care children.  We also are careful not to feed the children a large amount of sugary foods.   The research pacified the concern of the parents, and did improve the meal quality of the children.   As a student in Early Childhood Research, I now wonder if any other food additives could have contaminated our study.  Perhaps the red food coloring in the soup, not the salt, caused the hyperactivity in the children?  I also realize that the verbal consent of the parents should have been written consent, and child assent should have been received.  Confidentiality was not breached, but was also not a concern.  The research was performed in a non-professional manner.