Aim. The purpose of the paper was to learn about nursing and nutritional problems in children with lactose intolerance.
Material and methods. The study included a group of 343 parents, 320 (93.3%) women and 23 (6.7%) men. A self-written questionnaire containing 27 questions was used for the study. The comparison of responses in the groups was performed using the chi-square test or the Fisher’s exact test where the expected low rates appeared in the tables. The analysis was performed in the R software, version 4.0.2.
Results. The most common symptoms affecting the respondents’ children were: abdominal pain (77.3%), abdominal distension (73.5%), overflow in the abdomen (49%), and mucus-mixed stools (45.5%). The symptoms caused the child’s anxiety during sleep in 52.5%, problems with attaching to the breast in 30.3%, and buttocks burns in 23.9%. Statistical analysis confirmed a significant relationship between education and age and the source from which the respondents obtained information on lactose intolerance (p<0.05). Statistical analysis showed that the financial situation had no effect on calcium supplementation in breastfeeding women while on a lactose-free diet (p>0.05). It is worth noting, however, that only 10.5% of the respondents declared calcium supplementation while on a lactose-free diet.
Conclusions. It is important to confirm the diagnosis with an examination, as an incorrect diagnosis may lead to a number of problems without obtaining the desired effect. In children with symptoms of lactose intolerance, meeting the daily calcium requirement is essential.
