Abstract
Objective: To encourage children in 3rd, 4th, and 5th grades to learn about good nutrition and display their knowledge in an attractive poster. Method: A children’s poster contest was conducted through schools in the Washington, DC metro area in conjunction with the 2004 National Health Education Week’s campaign, “Healthy Eating – Every Bite Counts!”. Posters were judged on a 100 point scale, and six winners were chosen for each grade level. The children with the winning posters received cash prizes and were honored at an awards ceremony at the Society for Public Health Education’s (SOPHE) annual meeting. Results: Eligible entries were received from 76 students at 14 schools in the Arlington, VA and Washington, DC school districts. Almost all of the posters showed a good knowledge of nutrition by the students. Conclusion: National Health Education Week themes that are specific to children should encourage participation among schools, teachers, and parents. Partnerships offer possibilities for dissemination of public health education campaigns. A children’s poster contest about healthy eating in schools in the Washington, DC area was successful in gaining 76 entries from 14 schools, and children displayed a high level of knowledge of which foods were healthy for them and a high level of creativity and artistic talent.
Highlights
A poster contest for children was conducted through schools in the Washington, DC metro area in conjunction with the 2004 National Health Education Week’s campaign, “Healthy Eating – Every Bite Counts!”
Almost all of the posters showed a good knowledge of nutrition by the students
National Health Education Week themes that are specific to children should encourage participation among schools, teachers, and parents
Summary
The contest was open to children in 3rd, 4th, and 5th grades in the Washington, DC area. Children were requested to develop a poster on 8-1/2 x 11 paper that depicted the theme of “Healthy Eating – Every Bite Counts!”. The contest was publicized to the schools by contacting the major school district offices in the Washington, DC area approximately 6 weeks before the deadline with a phone call, an official letter, and a flyer that they could distribute to their teachers and students. Participating schools could receive nutrition and educational materials from Dole Foods, including Dole’s “5 A Day Adventures” CDROM. In addition to the primary National Health Education Week theme, interested students could develop their own slogans around healthy eating. Some suggestions were given in the letter to the schools, such as:
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