What is NutriSTEP®?

  • A fast and simple way to assess eating habits and identify nutrition problems early in young children 3-5 years of age.
  • A bilingual (English and French) parent-administered 17-item nutrition screening questionnaire.
  • A valid and reliable questionnaire that can differentiate between preschoolers who are at nutrition risk and those who are not.
  • A questionnaire that includes topics such as children’s food and nutrient intake, physical growth, developmental and physical capabilities, physical activity, food security and the feeding environment.
  • A questionnaire that can be used in a variety of settings as well as for nutrition surveillance.
  • Listen to our June 2009 web cast to learn more. View the Powerpoint slides and accompanying background materials.

The NutriSTEP® questionnaire is copyright protected and can only be obtained by acquiring a license and downloading it from acquire a license.

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Why is NutriSTEP® important?

  • Approximately 10% of the preschool population will be identified as high nutritional risk.
  • Poor nutrition in young children can lead to:
    1. Growth problems such as failure to thrive and obesity
    2. Anemia
    3. Poor eating habits that become lifelong
    4. Lack of school readiness
    5. Inability to learn at school
  • NutriSTEP® provides:
    1. Early identification of potential nutrition problems
    2. Parent referral to community resources
    3. Parental nutrition education
    4. Support in evaluating preschool nutrition interventions
    5. A means of monitoring community child nutrition programs
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Who can use the NutriSTEP® questionnaire and resources?

  • The NutriSTEP® questionnaire is intended to be used by community professionals dealing with preschool aged children, 3 to 5 years.
  • The child’s parent or primary caregiver - the person who is most knowledgeable about the child’s eating and other health habits - should complete the NutriSTEP® questionnaire.
  • The NutriSTEP® program can be used with existing child health and development provincial programs.
  • The NutriSTEP® program can be used to reach at risk preschoolers and their families in locations such as child and parent programs, parent education programs, school readiness programs, and primary health care settings such as physicians’ offices and community health centres.
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What does the NutriSTEP® program include?

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NutriSTEP® Background and History

  • NutriSTEP® stands for Nutrition Screening Tool for Every Preschooler. It is a valid and reliable English and French nutrition risk screening questionnaire for preschoolers. The NutriSTEP® questionnaire has been developed, refined and validated in both English and French with multicultural and geographically diverse groups of parents and preschoolers across Ontario and Canada. This work began over 10 years ago and has involved almost 1500 preschoolers and their parents, and more than 50 multisectoral partners. Focus groups, child health screening fairs, research interviews, and child nutrition assessments were conducted in English and French with numerous cultural groups including First Nations, East Asian, Persian, South American, and Italian.
  • Led by dietitian researchers from the Sudbury & District Health Unit Public Health Research, Education and Development (PHRED) program, the Nutrition Resource Centre, and the University of Guelph.
  • Funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), The Ontario Public Health Research, Education and Development (PHRED) Program, City of Greater Sudbury, Ontario Early Years Challenge Fund, Health Canada (Population Health Fund), The Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care, the Ontario Ministry of Health Promotion, and the Danone Institute of Canada.
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* Disclaimer: The views expressed in the materials associated with NutriSTEP® do not necessarily represent the official policies of the above funders.