A Program for Implementing Nutrition Education into a First Grade Curriculum

Abstract

LEARNING OUTCOME: To determine if the Food Guide Pyramid is an effective teaching tool for a first grade nutrition education program. An opportunity exists to educate young children about the role food plays in their health while they are eager to learn and are developing their lifetime eating habits. In response to this need, a nutrition education program was developed and implemented in three, first grade classrooms of an elementary school in Maryland. A total of seventy-two, first grade students participated in the program. The program consisted of three, forty five minute lessons, and one review lesson, taught by a dietetic intern. The Food Guide Pyramid was the foundation for each of the lessons which focused on: the importance of eating a variety of foods, the fat content of foods, and the long-term health effect of a high fat diet. Eighteen children were randomly selected from the classes to complete identical, fifty-seven question, pre- and post-tests. The test assessed the children's knowledge of each of the subjects covered in the lessons using pictures and verbal questions. Multiple comparisons were adjusted using Bonferroni correction. There was a statistically significant difference between the mean pre- and post-test scores of 71% ± 12% and 86% ± 8% (mean ± SD) respectively (p < .001). The children' knowledge of the Food Guide Pyramid was the only tested topic to show statistically significant improvement from pre- to post-test. The children's ability to place each food group in its proper place on the Food Guide Pyramid improved from 47% ± 30% to 95% ± 13 % (p <.001). The children' ability to identify which food groups should make up the largest and smallest portions of their diet improved from 70% ± 23% to 94% ± 11% (p < .002). Although significant improvement was not seen for every tested topic, improvement was seen in 96% of the test questions. Most importantly, the program was effective in teaching the children which foods are the foundation of both the Food Guide Pyramid and a healthy diet.