School-Based Nutrition Health Promotion Program

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Table of Contents

Introduction
Principles of Health Promotion used in the Program
Theoretical framework
Research design
Research Results as Health Promotion Advocate
Reference

Introduction

In the year nineteen ninety six, Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) developed a nutritional health promotional program in schools to promote life long healthy eating habits. This was based on the fact that, healthy eating habits in both children and adolescents had increasingly been noted to have deteriorated over the years hence the need to promote the health, growth and intellectual development of the child. There was also a need to aim at preventing health problems related to eating patterns such as obesity, anaemia, and dental disorders amongst other health disorders (PHS 1991). Apart from immediate prevention, healthy eating patterns are more likely to prevent long-term health problems such as; stroke, cancer, and heart diseases among others.

The nutrition programs in schools aimed at giving education on health, and acted as a disease control program as it aimed at providing skills, achieving total education potential, as well as to improve their health. Dietary factors play a major role in preventing illnesses and premature death in many States (AHA, 2000). This has made the national health promotion and disease prevention to focus on nutritional education in school, as a result, the USDA and NET programs urges that nutritional education should be incorporated in children nutritional programs in schools, and children care facilities as it contributes to healthier bodies, mind, and improved learning (Minkler 1999, USDA 2000).

Principles of Health Promotion used in the Program

Health promotion involves helping people to control and improve their heath. To achieve this, various health promotion principles need to be considered. To effectively improve health, the school-based program considered good heath as a great resource for personal, social and economical development and a cornerstone for quality life. The program advocated for health by providing social, environmental and economic support for children and adolescents to achieve skills and education necessary to promote or rather improve heath.

The program focused on achieving equal health in all children and adolescents from all walks of life. The education was to be given to all students in school regardless of their socio-economic background. The differences which existed in children and adolescents’ health due to difference in background was to be reduced by the program, creating equal resources and opportunities necessary in attaining full heath potential.

The Centre for Disease Control and Prevention figured out that the health sector alone can not effectively promote health given the nature of the campaigns. To be effective in promoting health, the CDC involves schools as mediators, as such, all people are represented in terms of age, sex, religious affiliation, interests, political ideology, personalities and background. Through schools, a large number of people was informed, thus reaching the target population (Mandell, 1993).

The school-based nutritional program aimed at developing the personal skills of students at various levels. It supported social and personal development of the children and adolescents, through education and dissemination of information on what should be eaten, what should be avoided in the diet, and the amount required for proper functioning of the body. The information is important in development of both personal and life skills. Apart from learning the effects diet has on growth, health and young people’s intellectual development, the program also focused on the effects of the diet of young people to their future health particularly in their adulthood stage (Devaney et al. 2000, pp. 209S).

Theoretical framework

The program used the contemporary theories of health behaviour. With the believe that people act depending on what they know or think, the school based nutritional program aimed at creating awareness of healthy eating and its impact to quality heath. The children and adolescents can have unhealthy eating habits out of ignorance, but once informed, they change the poor habits to healthy eating. Although knowledge was required by the children to change eating behaviour, the program considered knowledge to be limited to producing most behaviour changes. The program considered the individual level as a key level in health promotion. The CDC planned the program to influence the behaviour of young children and adolescents (CDC 1994, pp. 820). The program used individual-level change theories since group behaviour or rather the societal behaviour is composed of individuals with different behaviours. These individual behaviours form the basic part of the diverse behaviours in the society. Therefore, it means the school-based nutrition health program involved change of behaviours of many individuals, who are the basic units of the society. Change of behaviour at individual level enhances change of group, community, and even national behaviour, thus achieving quality health of all people in the society (Ross and Pate 1999).

Research design

The school-based nutrition heath promotion program utilizes a descriptive design in the research in an attempt to change the eating behaviour of both young children and adolescents in various schools. Cohort studies were involved where by, students in various schools were assayed as the variable of the research. A research was carried out prior to the implementation of the program to determine the dietary habits of various students in randomly selected schools. The results showed that most children and adolescents take junk food, which is not healthy. The out come of the junk food was evaluated by determining the weight of the children in the school, where by the incidents of obesity was focused. Majority of the assayed variants were either obese, or overweight. The degree of ignorance in the assayed population was determined by inquiring their views regarding eating behaviour. Most of the obese children were ignorant, while the few who were overweight argued that they love snacks but their parents do not like the habit. Using the descriptive design, difference in exposure was determined using students with health education and others without the education (International Journal for Equity in Health 2007, 2007).

Research Results as Health Promotion Advocate

The results from the research and study can be used for health promotion advocacy. Healthy eating promotes good health which is a major resource in economic, personal and social development. Quality life is symbolised by good health, which is supported by healthy eating. This shows the impact of healthy eating in an individual’s life. For any individual to develop or grow well in both mind and body, healthy foods are required (Gregoire and Sneed 1994). Healthy foods supply the body with nutrients required in growth, enhances social relationships, and reduces the costs associated with illnesses caused by unhealthy eating. The results from the study can be used to discourage junk food in all ages, and to encourage and motivate people to eat health foods which are rich in nutrients required by the body. Many people are ignorant of the consequences of unhealthy eating, so they eat, and encourage their children to eat unhealthy foods. Using the results, people can understand of the consequences, of unhealthy eating, and get motivated to change the behaviour for quality life (Wellman, 2000).

Reference

AHA 2000, Lower fat and cholesterol easily and economically, AHA, Dallas, TX.

CDC 1994, Prevalence of overweight among adolescents, MWR, vol. 43 no. 44, pp. 820.

Devaney B, Gordon A, and Burghardt J 2000 Dietary intakes of students. Am J Clin Nutrition, vol. 61, no.1, pp. 209S.

Gregoire M, and Sneed J 1994, Standards for nutrition integrity. School Food Service, vol. 18, no. 2 pp. 108-110.

International Journal for Equity in Health 2007. 6:4doi:10.1186/1475-9276-6-4.

Mandell, R 1993, Strategic plan for nutrition education: promoting healthy eating habits for children, USDA, FNS, Washington, DC.

Minkler, M 1999, Community building for health, Rutgers State University, Rutgers.

P H S 1991, National health promotion and disease prevention objectives, US DHHS, Washington, DC.

Ross J, and Pate R 1999, Children body composition changes. Physical Educ Recreation Dance, vol. 58, no. 9, pp. 75

USDA 2002, Nutrition guidance for child nutrition programs, USDA, FNS, Washington, DC.

Wellman N, and Crawford L 2000, Feeding for the future: exceptional nutrition in the IEP, FNETP, Tallahassee, FL.

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