An integrative nutrition education framework for preschool through grade 12

Abstract

The need for comprehensive and sequential pro­ gram in nutrition education ... as an integral part of the curriculum of every school in the United States was recommended in the final report of the 1969 White House Conference on Food. Nutrition. and Health (1). This recommendation culminated in the establishment of the federal Nutrition Education and Training (NET) pro­ gram in 1977. After the Tennessee NET program was established. a needs assessment revealed that the state lacked a comprehensive and sequential framework for school-based nutrition education. Elementary teachers wanted a program that could be integrated into several subject matter areas; and secondary teachers in health. home economics. science. and social studies indicated interest in teaching nutrition. As part of a NET contract. we developed and evaluated a framework for nutrition education designed to meet these needs. The framework consists of goals. objectives. and sequential topics for children in preschool through grade 12. Development of the framework. Our interdisciplinary team included specialists in nutrition and food sciences. human development. curriculum and instruction. home economics education. and health education. Most team members also had expertise in a second of these areas or another area related to nutrition education. For each year of the project. an advisory board with statewide representation was established. Members included teachers in various disciplines. school administrators. district and state supervisors. foodservice supervisors. and parents. Based on a review of the literature. Tennessee's needs assessment. and consultation with the year 1 advisory board. we established criteria for an optimal nutrition education framework and subsequent curriculum. These criteria were that the framework be a) compre