Abstract
There is a lack of evidence for the effectiveness of school programs that develop healthy habits, this is critical given the rising concerns related to childhood obesity. The aim of this study was to assess the effectiveness of a comprehensive nutrition education program in improving nutrition knowledge and behaviors among elementary aged students involving four elementary schools in greater St. Louis metropolitan area, inclusive of East St. Louis, Illinois. Educational lessons providing a comprehensive curriculum of nutrition and health education including interactive lectures, activities, and demonstrations were divided among six topics: My Plate; digestion; heart health; food label reading; skeletal system and calcium; and healthy snacking were evaluated by assessing preand post- surveys to determine changes in knowledge and behavior. Results concluded that a short-term nutrition intervention using a comprehensive nutrition and health education curriculum has the capacity to increase nutrition knowledge in an ethnically diverse population of fourth- and fifth grade students.
Highlights
There is an epidemic of childhood obesity within the United States
This study was determined to be exempt by Saint Louis University Institutional Review Board (IRB) as this was a retrospective review of existing anonymous data and all subjects were not identifiable
Socioeconomic status of the schools was determined by the percentage of the student population receiving Free and Reduced Lunches (FRL)
Summary
There is an epidemic of childhood obesity within the United States. From 2011-2012 the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported obesity affected 17% of all children and adolescents in the United States - triple the rate from just one generation ago (“Centers for Disease Control and Prevention”). Childhood obesity is problematic due to the harmful effects, such as hypertension and high cholesterol [2], impaired glucose tolerance, insulin resistance, and type 2 diabetes [3] in addition to social and psychological problems that can continue into adulthood [4]. With the increasing problematic concerns associated with the continual rise in the childhood obesity epidemic, there is a burgeoning need for effective prevention methods
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