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Background and Objectives: This study aims to assess the health status and factors influencing healthy choices among children and young people in Romania, as well as the efficacy of related health education programs. Through understanding these dynamics, the study seeks to provide insights that can shape targeted interventions, policies, and educational strategies to improve this demographic's overall health and well-being. Materials and Methods: For this study, we performed a literature review of original published papers on the health status, healthy habits, health education, predisposition to making healthy choices in the future, and accessibility to the paediatric health system of Romanian children and young people, as well as the effects of different types of educational interventions on this demographic in Romania. Results: The prevalence of dental caries is high in Romania. In terms of eating habits and nutritional status, a worrying proportion of children are overweight or obese, which can lead to a variety of future physical and psychological problems. In terms of physical activity, few adolescents demonstrate regular fitness practices. Romania presents an increase in alcohol and tobacco consumption among adolescents. The mental health of students has become a pressing public health concern, exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. The use of social networks is linked to mental health issues among young people. Romania still has one of the highest rates of sexually transmitted diseases and faces a high incidence of cervical cancer, with a mortality rate three times higher than the EU average. High rates of teenage pregnancies are linked to limited information about sexuality and a lack of access to family planning at a young age. There are large discrepancies in the accessibility of medical services between urban and rural areas. Conclusions: Romania faces significant obstacles to providing high-quality healthcare to children and young people. Improving nutrition, immunisation rates, and access to medical services represent essential areas for enhancing the health of children and young people in Romania. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Acrylamide is one of the contaminants resulting from thermal processing of food products which is known to cause cancer in animals and adversely affect health in humans. Aims. The aim of this paper is to estimate the daily intake of acrylamide (AA) in a child community and identify/quantify the major sources of dietary exposure. Methods. A cross-sectional study was performed in one kindergarten from Cluj-Napoca, Romania, which comprised 78 children aged 4 to 6. Information regarding their food consumption in kindergarten was collected by means of food records performed 10 days/month in 6 different months (3 months in spring and three months in autumn), leading to 60 days for the assessment period. Results. Calculated based on mean acrylamide concentrations in foods and mean consumed food amounts, the total dietary acrylamide exposure among kindergarten children evidenced a mean of 41.65 μg/day (2.22 μg/kg body weight/day) and could increase up to 136.15 μg/day (7.27 μg/kg body weight/day) for a consumer at a high percentile of the distribution (95th to 97.5th). The major foods contributing to the mean level of total dietary exposure were cereals (representing 31.1%), especially white bread (10.7%) and cream of wheat flour (9.2%), and vegetables (30.8 % of total exposure) with potatoes being the major contributor (13.9% of total exposure). The other food groups (meat, fish, meat products, sweets, oil and fats and dairy) represented one third of the mean level of daily acrylamide exposure (contributing 37.7%). Conclusions. The results underline the importance of increasing awareness with regard to food selection and preparation techniques of food products for children in order to decrease their exposure to acrylamide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]