At least one in five Irish children aged between six and 12 years think that chicken nuggets are healthy, while a similar number believe that dried fruits and nuts are unhealthy, a new survey has found.

According to the findings, one in nine children also consider apples to be unhealthy.

The survey of 120 children in Dublin and Kildare found a number of misconceptions around food and healthy eating. It revealed that at least one in four children believe that less healthy foods, such as cheeseburgers, provide them with energy and make them perform better in sport.

Furthermore, when it comes to specific foods, the results suggest that some children do not understand the differences between healthy and unhealthy foods.

Foods viewed as unhealthy include dried fruit and nuts - 20% of children think they are unhealthy - apples (12%) and tuna salad (8%).

Foods viewed as healthy include chicken nuggets (21%), lollipops (13%), fast food/takeaways (12%), chips (10%), cheeseburgers (9%) and even pizza (8%).

Meanwhile, the survey also revealed that almost half of children cannot name any vitamins or minerals and do not know what they are.

While most of the children surveyed play sport at least twice a week outside of school, 10% of children admitted eating a healthy diet and exercising was only important ‘because my mam or teacher tell me to'.

The survey was carried out on behalf of Kelloggs, sponsor of GAA Cúl Camps.