Introduction:

the COVID-19 pandemic can affect the quality of food and nutrition of preschoolers and schoolchildren through an increase in food insecurity of families, by measures such as confinement and closure of educational establishments, which affects the daily structure, feeding schedules, and quality of food.

Objectives:

analyze the overall food quality of preschool and school children in Chile during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods:

five hundred and fifty-one schoolchildren (22.5 % boys and 77.5 % girls) from five Chilean cities distributed in northern, central, and southern macro zones participated in a convenience sampling. The Global Food Quality Index was applied. The data were analyzed in the IBM SPSSV24 statistical program. Differences in proportions were analyzed employing crossed tables.

Results:

schoolchildren from rural areas presented lower eating quality than their urban peers (p = .005). Schoolchildren who eat with the whole family had better indicators of eating quality than those who ate alone (p = .002). In nine out of 12 dietary components, evaluated females present higher compliance with dietary recommendations.

Conclusions:

further research is needed on changes in dietary intake and dietary quality of children and their families during the pandemic. This will allow us to analyze the impact of the pandemic on eating behavior and its possible consequences.

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