Nutrition Education For Children Research Articles

A Study of Parents' Satisfaction and Needs for Foodservice Quality of the Childcare Centers in Chungnam Asan Area

We tried to find out parents’ satisfaction and needs for foodservice quality of the childcare centers with an intention of improving it. Self-completed questionnaires were randomly collected from the parents of children in 174 childcare centers around Asan and were analyzed. Most of respondents were mothers who were housewives with college degrees (69%) in their 30’s (80%). They thought nutrition (50%) and food hygiene (43%) were the most important factors for decision. Eighty percent of parents recognized the strong relationship between foodservice quality and childrens’ mental and physical development. Most centers (94%) were delivering menu notices home, so parents well recognized the center’s foodservice situation and problems of their kids’ eating habits. The parents’ satisfaction scores were 3.26 out of 5-point scale. The biggest dissatisfaction was from no variation in menu, but remarkable appreciation was from the effect of foodservice on the correction for kids’ unbalanced diet habit. They had demands for improvement of nutritious menu and professional nutrition teacher in charge of foodservice and nutrition education for children and also for parents. (Korean J Community Nutr 16(4) : 497~510, 2011)

Dietary Habits and Nutrition Knowledge of Children Using Community Food Service Centers according to Family Type

The objective of this study was to assess dietary habits and nutrition knowledge of elementary school students who use community food-service centers according to family type. The subjects were comprised of 147 individuals in lowincome households, aged from 7 to 12 years, and who consumed free meals at community welfare centers or at local children’s centers in Seoul and Kyunggi-do, Korea. Dietary habits and dietary intake were obtained using 24-hr recall. Children in low-income single parent families skipped breakfast more frequently than children in low-income married parent families. No difference in nutrition intake or dietary habits was observed between children in low-income single parent families and children in low-income married parent families. More interest and financial support of the govern ment are required to develop nutrition education and food assistance programs for children in low-income single parent families. (Korean J Nutr 2011; 44(3): 255 ~ 263)

Obesity as a poverty‐related emerging nutrition problems: the case of Indonesia

Obesity is a major contributor to the global burden of chronic disease and disability. In developing countries like Indonesia, obesity often co-exists with undernutrition. Data from national basic health research 2007 showed that overnutrition was found among all age groups, on a double digit scale, with similar magnitude in urban and rural areas and higher prevalence in adult female. In contrary to 14% undernourished children under the age of 5 years, 12% of their counterparts were overnourished; for 6-14 years 10% vs. 6%; and for 15 years and above 15% vs. 19%. The purpose of the review is to raise awareness on the increasing obesity problem and to set recommendations to prevent obesity. Stunted adults in developing countries are 1.2 times more likely to be overweight than non-stunted adults. Approaches to overcoming obesity in adulthood emphasize dietary changes, increasing physical activity and behaviour modification. It is important for Indonesia to target nutrition intervention for female adolescents, pregnant woman to first 2 years of life, initiate nutrition education for school-age children and disseminate Holistic Healthy Framework Approach with key message 'Initiate healthier food choices'. Prompt Nutrition Guidelines and the use of lower body mass index cut-off should be considered.

FruitZotic: Evaluating An Early Childhood Nutrition Education Program Using Child Development Theoretical Frameworks

Journal of Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics (JDBP) is a leading resource for clinicians, teachers, and researchers involved in pediatric healthcare and child development. This important journal covers some of the most challenging issues affecting child development and behavior, including: ADHD Autism Depression Anxiety Disorders Internalizing & Externalizing Behaviors Behavioral Aspects of Chronic Illness Psychosocial Determinants of Child Health Developmental/Behavioral Health Disparities Stress & Adversity Neurodevelopmental Disabilities Learning Disabilities/Differences Parenting & Family Factors Gene-Environment Interactions Clinical Screening and Assessment Official Journal of the Society for Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics.

Demographic Variables as Determinants of Women’s Participation in Child Nutrition Education in Osun State, Nigeria

The study examined demographic variables as determinants of women participation in child nutrition education in Osun State, with a view to establishing the level of nutrients children have in breast-feeding and how child nutrition education impacted women participation and psychosocial development of mothers and children. The descriptive survey research design was employed. The random sampling technique was used to select 525 respondents which comprised mothers who brought their children to the hospitals and clinics. t-test was used to analyse the data There was significant difference in level of women participation with low and higher education in child nutrition awareness (t=1.96, df =525, p>0.5). There was no significant difference in the level of participation of unemployed and employed women in child nutrition awareness (t=.567, df =525,p>0.5). Similarly, there was significant difference between the level of participation of single and married women in child nutrition awareness’. (t=1.815, df =525, p>0.5. Therefore, the study recommended that every women, irrespective of age, level of education, level of employment, or marital status need to be educated and aware of the effects of nutrients children acquired in breast-feeding. Also, the government; non-governmental organizations, community workers and society at large should organize seminars and workshops on how to improve child nutrition practices.Key words: Demographic, child nutrition, education, women participation,Osun State

Assessing Validity and Reliability of a Community-Based Child Nutrition Education Program Evaluation Instrument

Assessing Validity and Reliability of a Community-Based Child Nutrition Education Program Evaluation Instrument

Nutrition education and anaemia outcome in inner city black children

Agtergrond : Genoegsame data dui aan / suggereer dat Afro-Amerikaanse kinders, veral die wat deur arm sosio-ekonomiese omstandighede benadeel word, steeds 'n hoe voorkomssyfer van anemie ondervind. Metode : Hierdie studie het ondersoek ingestel na die effek van intensiewe voedingonderrig op die voorkomssyfer van anemie in 'n steekproef van 116 anemiese Afro-Amerikaanse kinders wat aan die Special Supplementary Food Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) deelneem. Die moeder / kind pare is ewekansig in 'n kontrole en 'n intervensie groep verdeel. Moeders in die kontrole groep het die gewone WIC voedinginstruksies ontvang, terwyl die moeders in die intervensie groep aan 'n spesiaal ontwikkelde meerfasettige voedingonderrig program blootgestel is. Die voorkoms van anemie, die voedingskennis van moeders rakende die ysterinhoud van voedsel, bloed hemoglobien (Hb) konsentrasies en dieettoereikendheid is aan die begin en die einde van die studie vir elke groep geassesseer. Resultate : Die gemiddelde verskille tussen die yster voedingkennis punte van die moeders en die bloed Hb konsentrasies van die kinders in die intervensiegroep voor- en na die proeftydperk was betekenisvol hoer as die van die kontrole groep. Die omvang van die vermindering in anemie-voorkoms was ook hoer vir die kinders in die intervensiegroep. Gevolgtrekking : Daar is aangetoon dat die voorkoms van anemie in hierdie groep Afro-Amerikaanse kinders verlaag het deur gebruik te maak van meerfassettige- en teikengerigte voedingonderrig intervensies.

Pengembangan Permainan (Game-play) Edukasi Gizi Berbasis-komputer untuk Murid Sekolah Dasar (Development Of Computer-based Nutritional Education Game-play For Primary School Students)

ABSTRACT Background : Nutrition education in school children is considered to be effective and efficient to touch big segment in population. Objective : To develop a computer-based nutritional education game-play for primary school children. Methods : Focus group interviews (focus groups) were used to obtain insight into participants’ understanding and opinions regarding the healthy eating and physical-activity. Participants consisted of pupils (year 3 to 6) and their teachers in 3 cities in West Java Province: Depok, Bekasi, and Bandung. Two primary schools in each city selected purposively based on the recommendation of Dinas Pendidikan (Education Offices). This study included 2 phases. Phase I was focus groups involved 1 pupil group and 1 teacher group of 8 to 10 participants each. Focus group sessions were noted and summarized into meaningful themes for a developed computer-based nutritional education game-play. Phase II was created and test the game-play. Results : Key concepts of the healthy eating were commonly understood, but specific knowledge was limited, especially related to the recommended dietary allowance and food servings. Game-play is develop to be played and can be understood by students and teachers easily. From the trial game-play input obtained to repair the game. So at the end of the study can be obtained prototype game-play more interesting and can be more accepted by students and teachers. Although not all suggestions for improvements can be accommodated perfectly. Conclusion : The computer-based nutritional education game-play can be cheerfully used by year 1 to 6 of primary school children to enrich their knowledge about how much food should they eat a day based on their body needs. [Penel Gizi Makan 2010, 33(2): 161-172] Keywords : computer-based nutritional education, game-play, primary school children, teachers

Health Camp

Participants will identify the components of a childhood nutrition education and physical activity program involving nutritional assessment, program development and implementation, and post-evaluation.

サッカースクールに子どもを通わせている保護者の食生活調査―サッカー少年団への食教育介入計画にあたっての集団特徴把握を目的として―

The dietary habits of children attending a soccer school and their parents were investigated. This investigation targeted 1,205 parents of children registered in the U-6 (kindergarten level), U-8 (elementary school grades 1 and 2), and U-10 (elementary school grades 3 and 4) classes of a soccer school belonging to a Japan League team. Of the 548 parents who responded to the questionnaire, the answers of 446 parents were selected as suitable for analysis (37% valid response rate). All of these parents were mothers. The investigation covered the quality of life, dietary behavior (actions related to cooking and eating), behavior related to health, daily activity, food skills and the food environment. The responses indicated that the parents and children had effective support, the food environment was good in those homes of children attending the soccer school, while there were few problems with dietary behavior, and the health-related quality of life was good. Further analysis of the parents' and children's dietary habits was conducted according to the judgment on any problems with the content of meals and the parents' food skills. In the group with low skills, according to the parents' judgment about problems with the content of meals, the quality of life was not considered high, and the support and surrounding food environment were both worse than those of the group with high skills. There was a high percentage of persons who thought that it was necessary to conduct food and nutrition education in cooperation with other organizations. There is a possibility that local sports clubs (soccer clubs) can play a role as well as schools in food and nutrition education for children. It will be necessary to obtain an outline of the dietary habits of such children beforehand.

Correlation of bone status in mothers and daughters and the improvement of bone status

BackgroundAcquiring a higher peak bone mass during puberty reduces the risk of osteoporosis later in life. Peak bone mass is influenced by a variety of genetic and environmental factors. Age-appropriate nutrition and physical education for school-age children is indispensable. In the present study, bone examinations were performed on 1611 female students in junior and senior high school along with their 1376 mothers, and a 5-year follow-up survey was conducted. MethodQuantitative ultrasound assessment of the calcaneus was performed to calculate the osteo-sono assessment index (OSI) using an ultrasound system Acoustic Osteo-Screener. A questionnaire was distributed to all participants to investigate their physical status and lifestyle. In addition, the presence of determinant factors of bone status and genetic factors in mother-daughter pairs and lifestyle, including diet and physical activity, in those with low bone status were examined. ResultsThe OSI was determined by age, weight, the body mass index (BMI), years after menarche, exercise history, and milk intake in daughters, as well as by age, menopause status, history of bone fracture, and exercise history in mothers. Multiple regression analysis showed significant relations between the daughter’s OSI and weight, the mother’s OSI, the years after menarche, and physical activity. A correlation in mother–daughter pairs was observed between the OSI and height, weight, BMI, and calcium intake. The OSI and milk intake significantly increased with accumulated follow-up checkups owing to the age-matched nutrition instruction; however, physical activity was not improved in either daughters or mothers. ConclusionsBecause the lifestyle of mothers has been already established, it is difficult to change their diet. Therefore, a well-rounded diet during childhood and adolescence is important for achieving good bone health, which reduces the risk of osteoporosis later in life.

Construction of web-based nutrition education contents and searching engine for usage of healthy menu of children

A diet habit, which is developed in childhood, lasts for a life time. In this sense, nutrition education and early exposure to healthy menus in childhood is important. Children these days have easy access to the internet. Thus, a web-based nutrition education program for children is an effective tool for nutrition education of children. This site provides the material of the nutrition education for children with characters which are personified nutrients. The 151 menus are stored in the site together with video script of the cooking process. The menus are classified by the criteria based on age, menu type and the ethnic origin of the menu. The site provides a search function. There are three kinds of search conditions which are key words, menu type and "between" expression of nutrients such as calorie and other nutrients. The site is developed with the operating system Windows 2003 Server, the web server ZEUS 5, development language JSP, and database management system Oracle 10 g.

Nutrition knowledge, attitude, and behavior of Taiwanese elementary school children.

The purpose of this study is to understand nutrition knowledge, attitude, and behavior in Taiwanese elementary school children, and the relationship of these various components. The results indicated that children's knowledge was fair in nutrition basics, but poor in 'the physiological function of nutrients', 'relationships between diet/nutrients and disease', and 'the daily serving requirement for different food groups'. Children in general valued the importance of nutrition, but they did not concern the health benefit of foods in food selections. Their dietary quality was not satisfactory, and the diet of most children did not meet the recommended serving requirements for milk, vegetable, fruit, and cereals and grains groups. Positive relationships were found among nutrition knowledge, attitude, caring- about-nutrition behavior and dietary quality score. The restraint or disinhibited eating behavior of 4th to 6th graders was not serious, but a large number of children already performed some self-controlling practices to avoid obesity, but not frequently. One fourth of the students skipped meals, especially breakfast, and one quarter of 4th to 6th graders prepared their own breakfast; which may have some impact on children's diet quality. A gap was found between nutrition knowledge, attitude and eating behavior, especially vegetable and fruit consumption, indicating that the attitude toward eating for health was not strong in this age group. Future nutrition education for school children should not only include food serving requirements of food groups, but also apply appropriate theories to improve the motivation for healthy eating.

Who benefits from intervention in, as opposed to screening of, overweight and obese children?

StEP TWO is a school- and family-based intervention consisting of extra lessons, healthy nutrition and physical education for overweight and obese children in primary schools, aimed at reducing body mass index by maintenance or reduction of weight, and improving motor abilities. We analysed differences in changes in anthropometric, cardiovascular and obesity parameters between children who underwent intervention, non-participants in intervention, and controls. Anthropometric data and waist circumference were recorded for 1678 children; body mass index and body mass index-standard deviation score were calculated. Blood pressure was measured after 5 minutes at rest. 121 overweight and obese children enrolled at 3 schools involved in programmes of intervention were invited to take part; 40 of them completed the programme from November 2003 to July 2004. Of these overweight children, 74 were invited, but did not take part. As controls, we enrolled 155 overweight and obese children from 4 other schools. After the programme, the children involved in intervention showed a lower increase in the body mass index (0.3 plus or minus 1.3 versus 0.7 plus or minus 1.2 kilograms per metre squared) and an approximately three times higher diminution of the body mass index-standard deviation score in comparison with their controls (-0.15 plus or minus 0.26 versus 0.05 plus or minus 0.27). Systolic blood pressure was significantly lowered by 9.5 plus or minus 19.6 millimetres of mercury in those involved in intervention, but increased in the control group by 0.5 plus or minus 16.5 millimetres of mercury. Among those invited but not participating, the increase of the body mass index (0.5 plus or minus 1.3 kilograms per metre squared) was less, and the reduction of the body mass index-standard deviation score (-0.09 plus or minus 0.31) and systolic blood pressure (-5.3 plus or minus 15.6 millimetres of mercury) was higher than in the control group. Overweight but not obese children seem to benefit from a screening examination alone. Early preventive measures in schools are necessary and effective for overweight and obese primary school children. The screening itself seems also to have a minor positive effect, especially for overweight children. Sustainability of the observed improvements over a longer period remains to be confirmed.

The cost-effectiveness of a child nutrition education programme in Peru

This article reports impact and cost results from a health facility-based nutrition education programme targeting children less than 2 years of age in Trujillo, Peru. Key elements of the programme included participative complementary feeding demonstrations, growth monitoring sessions and an accreditation process. Data were collected from six intervention and six control health facilities to measure utilization and costs associated with the intervention. To calculate the unit costs of services, these costs are allocated using activity-based costing. To measure the effects of the intervention, 338 children were followed through household surveys at regular intervals from birth until the age of 18 months. The intervention had a clear positive impact both on the use of nutrition-related services and on children's growth outcomes. Children in the intervention areas made 17.6 visits to health facilities in the first 18 months of life, compared with 14.1 visits for children in the control areas (P < 0.001). This pattern holds true for all socioeconomic groups. The intervention prevented 11.1 cases of stunting per 100 children. In multivariate logistic regression analysis, children in the intervention were 0.33 times as likely to be stunted as the controls (P = 0.002). The marginal cost of the intervention - including external costs, training, health education materials and extra travel and equipment - is 6.12 US dollars per child reached and 55.16 US dollars per case of stunting prevented. The estimated marginal cost of the intervention per death averted is 1952 US dollars.

After-School Gardening Improves Children’s Reported Vegetable Intake and Physical Activity

The USDA MyPyramid recommends increased amounts of fruits, vegetables, low-fat milk, whole grains and physical activity for children. After-school programs incorporating gardening provide opportunities for hands-on food, nutrition and physical activity education for children. In-school gardens have been utilized to enhance children’s eating habits. In a survey of fourth grade teachers at schools reported to have gardens, 47% reported they taught nutrition along with the use of gardening and 43% reported they perceived the garden to be somewhat to very effective at enhancing children’s eating habits. Another study reported fourth grade children’s preference for some vegetables improved when in-school gardening was combined with nutrition education. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of an Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service (OCES) after-school education and gardening program on reported vegetable intake and physical activity among children in 3 through 8 grade.

Landesinitiative BeKi- Bewusste Kinderernährung: Programmbeschreibung und -evaluation

The State Initiative Be KI is carried out statewide by the Baden-Württemberg Ministry for Nutrition/Food and Rural Area since 1980. Be KI addresses all target groups involved in the upbringing and education of children from age 6 months up to the end of the 6th grade and provides factual, validated, and independent information on child nutrition and nutrition education. Recently a comprehensive evaluation was carried out to assess the public health impact. Program, design and results of the evaluation are presented. According to the RE-AIM Model for health promotion programs the evaluation assesses the public health impact in regard of individual and institutional reach, efficacy, adoption, implementation, and maintenance by various methods (e. g. written surveys and interviews with experts of child nutrition, in day care facilities and primary schools supplemented by internal data of the Ministry). Be KI represents the nutrition education program for children in the German language area with the longest uninterrupted operation span. The number of assignments of the child nutrition experts has been increasing ever since Be KI's official inception in 1980. During the school year 2004/2005 the experts carried out 6090 assignments, predominantly in primary schools which accounted for 60% of the assignments. About a third of schools know Be KI. The majority of kindergarten and school teachers who know the experts of child nutrition or the compilation use these offers. Many teachers use Be KI-components without knowing that they belong to Be KI. As a result of Be KI some of the teachers noticed short-time changes: pupils eat healthier break-time snacks and change their attitude towards a more balanced diet. Concerning the frequency of nutrition education and teachers attitude there are hardly any differences between institutions with Be KI and without Be KI. Be KI meets the main requirements of effective nutrition education programs for children: it is creative, engaging, inexpensive an widely dissiminated. Contents and methods of the provided materials correspond to the development level of the target groups. But communication and networking with educational institutions as well as public relations should be intensified and teachers in day care facilities and school teachers should be motivated to work with the Be KI-materials on their own (empowerment). Room for improvement exists in regard of a permanent straightforward evaluation system and a more pronounced orientation of the prevention program towards the social environment would be helpful.

BeKi – an initiative for nutrition education in children in the federal state of Baden-Württemberg: description, experiences, and considerations for an evaluation framework

To present the State Initiative BeKi (from Bewusste Kinderernährung, conscious child nutrition; formerly: "program Nutrition Education with Children"), carried out statewide by the Baden-Wurttemberg Ministry for Nutrition/Food and Rural Area since 1980. The mission of BeKi is the improvement of nutritional knowledge, nutritional behaviour, and nutrition situation of children. The program description considers the most important evaluation criteria for health promotion programs, including practical experience and an evaluation concept. Currently comprehensive evaluation is carried out according to the RE-AIM Model for health promotion programs which assesses the public health impact in regard of individual and institutional reach, efficacy, adoption, implementation, and maintenance. BeKi addresses all target groups involved in the upbringing and education of children from age six months up to the end of the 6th grade and provides factual, validated, and independent information on child nutrition and nutrition education. Physiological, educational, and social aspects of food and nutrition are given equal importance. Core component of BeKi are the services of more than 250 BeKi-trained child nutrition experts. Previous experience and first evaluation results confirm that BeKi is creative, committed, cost-efficient and widely-used.

Nutrition Education: It has Never been an Easy Case for Indonesia

The root of Indonesian education can be traced back to the Dutch colonial period. The country adopts the 6-3-3-4 system of education, which consists of public schooling, Islamic schooling, and out-of-school education. In addition, the country has also been exposed to distance education. The call for this type of education was due to the geographic condition of Indonesia where face-to-face instruction has become limited. Studies on nutrition education in Indonesia covered various topics and teaching methods that were delivered mostly in after-class sessions. Effects on improved knowledge and attitudes were more marked than that of practices in relation to each nutrition topic. Nutrition and its related topics are delivered separately in different school subjects, such as biology, sport, health science, and home economics. Moreover, as the country keeps developing malnutrition problems, the Indonesian government through the Ministry of Health has run a feeding program that covers only children in elementary school aged 6-12 years old both in urban and rural areas. Efforts from private sectors and NGOs on the feeding program for schoolchildren seem to give complementary effects to the existing program. Human resources development of nutrition professionals was started in the early 1950s when a school for food scientists was first established. However, the professionals responsible for delivering nutrition-related topics in the school are the school teachers who mostly have never received relevant training for delivering such topics. For achieving effective children's nutrition education through schools, a solid partnership among stakeholders must be encouraged.

Nutrition education for illiterate children in southern Madagascar – addressing their needs, perceptions and capabilities

A Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices (KAP) study was conducted in three villages of Bekily District in southern Madagascar prior to the implementation of a health education programme with children. The participatory learning concept of the Child-to-Child approach was followed to involve the children in the planning and implementation of the programme, which was covered by the German Agency for Technical Cooperation. To this effect, qualitative research methods such as Participatory Learning and Action techniques (focus group discussions, mapping and matrix ranking, etc.) were applied. The survey was conducted between August and December 1999. It involved a total of 55 school-aged children (6-14 years) along with 21 mothers and 34 fathers, representing different ethnic groups and educational backgrounds. The results show that children's KAP related to health and nutrition strongly reflect those of adults. They are not aware of a possible link between bad hygiene and the occurrence of diseases. According to them, diarrhoea or malaria is caused by consuming too large amounts of certain foods. Even if they know about certain elementary hygiene behaviours, they do not practise this in their everyday life. A major objective of the health education programme for children should be to tackle the discrepancy between hygiene-related knowledge and behaviour. Through the participatory study approach the children revealed their ability to contribute to the programme development. In using appropriate communication channels, the Child-to-Child health education programme is expected to influence the health behaviours of both adults and children. The health education programme should be combined with a literacy programme to address the children's desire to learn reading and writing.