This cross-sectional survey investigated the energy and nutrient intake and the role of street
foods therein of 5-7 year-old children living in a slum area in Nairobi. In addition, we
hypothesized that children attending school would derive a larger part of their daily intake
from street foods than children who do not attend school. Children were selected based on
age and school attendance: a pre-school group with 37 children aged 5 years, a schoolgoing
group with 40 children aged 6 or 7 years attending primary school and a non-schoolgoing
group with 37 children aged 6 or 7 years not attending primary school. Two 24-hour
recalls were conducted about schooldays with both the caretaker and the child and the
source of each food consumed was recorded. Mean total food intake of the children was
below the recommended daily intakes in all groups. 78% of all the children consumed street
foods, which provided 21 % of daily energy intake in all groups, while all sources of nonhome
prepared foods together provided 24%. The street foods provided relatively high
proportions of fat but low proportions of micronutrients. Intake and thus adequacy was higher
in the school-going than in the non-school-going group, reflecting a difference in socioeconomic
level of the family. No differences in the proportion provided by street foods was
found between the groups. Street foods provide a substantial part of the diet of young urban
children and even within the slum area, total intake of the children is related to socioeconomic
levels.