A Study of Nutrition Education in Elementary Aged Students in the Home and in Nutrition

Education Programs
By: Megan Averesch, Julia Filc, Emily Gill, Emma Grupenhoff

INTRODUCTION
In todays world, there are still many different nutrition problems, many of which find roots
in poor nutrition education. Unhealthy nutrition habits can lead to major health problems. Most
consumers tend to purchase foods high in sugar, fat and calories instead of choosing healthy,
nutrient dense foods that are crucial for their health and necessary for children to properly develop
(1). If one or both of a childs parents are obese, he or she is at a much higher risk of developing
obesity (2). This pattern occurs because children are likely to practice the same eating habits they
learned from their parents. In elementary school, children are learning critical habits that will
influence what decisions they will make later in life. If children are educated on how they can
impact their weight and health through diet and exercise, they will be empowered to make healthy
choices (3). Therefore, parents should make nutrition education at home a priority as well as
advocate for nutrition education in schools because all children deserve to have proper nutrition
education. The purpose of this project was to investigate from what sources elementary kids are
receiving their nutrition education as well as what topics are being covered.
METHODS
Design
The survey was used to conduct research on the effectiveness of nutrition education at
home and school. It was a 10 question survey aimed toward parents. The questions covered a wide
array of topics including the prevalence of home and school nutrition education, topics of nutrition
covered, and other sources of possible nutrition education. The questions were used to gauge
participants knowledge of nutrition education and attitudes toward implementing a nutrition
education program in schools. The survey was open for five days.

Setting
The survey was advertised online through a social media site, Facebook, in an effort to get
parents to partake in the survey.
Participants
There were 56 participants that completed the survey. Participants included parents with
all ages of children. The majority of them answered all of the questions. This survey is not
representative of the majority population but it does give a convenience sample for the purposes
of this research project.
Instrumentation
A copy of the survey is provided in Appendix A. The questions were developed to assess
knowledge of both parent and child nutrition and to determine the main source of nutrition
education for kids. These questions were developed independently of other nutrition surveys.
Main Outcome Measures
The questions specifically asked for what the child learns in their nutrition program as well
as what the child learns at home. These categories included topics such as healthy snacks, cooking,
MyPlate, adequate exercise etc. (see survey for additional topics). These topics were assessed for
both at school and at home for use as a comparison point between the effectiveness of nutrition
education in the two places. The survey was self-reported based on the parents knowledge of the
childs nutrition education.
Analysis
The survey software -- www.surveymonkey.com -- analyzed the results for this project,
and are shown in the results section below. Most parents who answered the survey had children
older than elementary school and this helped to determine the changes in nutrition education within

the last 20 years. One theme that emerged was many parents did not receive nutrition education as
a child but those were the parents most likely to support a nutrition program in schools today.
Another theme that emerged was the correlation between a) if the parent home cooks most of their
meals and b) what they teach their children at home. The data supports the conclusion that parents
who home-cook most of their meals, tend to teach their children more about nutrition and food.
Finally, most parents that responded indicated that they go to a pediatrician for the majority of
their nutrition advice. This discovery shows the reliance on pediatricians for nutritional advice
even as pediatricians are not nutrition professionals.
RESULTS
Overall 56 parents participated in the survey. Out of these participants, 9 out of 55 that
responded said that they currently had children ages 6-11 years old. The 52 of 56 participants
thought that nutrition education should be in schools, but only 30 of 56 participants knew for sure
that their childs school had a nutrition program as shown in Figure 1.

Figure 1. Prevalence of Nutrition Education in Childs School

Additionally, 30 out of 55 participants responded that their child participates in some sort
of nutrition education program. Topics covered in the program/at home are shown in Figure 2.

Figure 2. Nutrition Education Program Material Coverage vs Nutrition Education at Home

Participants were also asked if they received nutrition education as a parent and whether or
not they passed that knowledge onto their child. Of 56, only 22 responded that they had received
any nutrition education as a parent. Many participants children are also receiving nutrition
education from a variety of other sources as shown in Figure 3. Other responses included scouts,
friends, podcasts, NICU, online research, and outside nutrition classes.

Figure 3. Nutrition Education from Other Sources

DISCUSSION
These findings have implications in todays schools. The results suggest that a majority of
parents are open to having nutrition taught in schools and since most of the parents that we
surveyed did not receive nutrition education themselves; it is crucial that schools do their part in
5

educating children. Nutrition education is defined as a variety of educational tactics applied with
strong support systems that have the goal of giving people the ability to make proper choices about
food and nutrition that are meant to improve the health of individuals (4). Providing a higher level
of nutrition education in schools would allow children to develop healthy habits in their future. It
would be very beneficial to society for researchers to develop more studies on how to effectively
get nutrition messages across to young audiences. There are also currently many schools that are
already practicing these nutrition programs. Elementary schools in Missouri participate in a
program called Nutrition Detectives. Researchers concluded that the students showed a much
higher ability to recognize healthy foods and were able to read food labels more effectively after
completing this program (5). Nutrition Detectives also reached out to parents of the young
children and gave them reading materials to educate them on how to make healthier choices (5).
Recommendations for Research and Practice
The limitations of this study are evident in the specificity of the questions as well as the
participant sample. However, this survey served as a good starting point for analyzing knowledge
and attitudes toward nutrition education. As for recommendations for further research, a wider
range of participants as well as a more detailed survey would prove helpful in analyzing data
trends. The scope of this survey was also very limited to parents of children who have had
elementary school kids. Other possible research paths could include surveying the teachers, the
students or community dietitians.

APPENDIX A
Sample Survey
1.) Do you currently have any kids ages 6-11 years old? Yes/No
2.) Do you think there should be nutrition education in schools? Yes/No
3.) Does your/did your childs school have any nutrition education programs? Yes/ No/Not sure
4.) Does you/did your child participate in a nutrition education program? Yes/No
5.) What did your child learn in the nutrition program? Check all that apply. If not applicable select
N/A. Cooking, Healthy meals, Healthy snacks, Portion sizes, Proper water intake, Proper sugar
intake, Eating the rainbow (variety of foods), MyPlate, Food pyramid, Exercise (go outside and
play, watching less tv, etc.), N/A, or other.
6.) What do you/did you teach your kids at home regarding to nutrition? Check all that apply.
Cooking, Healthy meals, Healthy snacks, Portion sizes, Proper water intake, Proper sugar intake,
Eating the rainbow (variety of foods), MyPlate, Food pyramid, Exercise ( go outside and play,
watching less tv, etc.), N/A or other.
7.) Did you as a parent receive nutrition education to pass onto your child? Yes, I received nutrition
education as a parent/ Yes, I received nutrition education as a parent and passed on my knowledge
to my child/ No, I did not receive nutrition as a parent/ No, I did not receive nutrition education
as a parent and I did not pass my nutrition knowledge to my child.
8.) Do you/did you home cook most of your meals? Yes/ No
9.) Did your child/children receive nutrition education from any of the following? Check all that
apply. Doctor's office, After school programs, Sports coaches, Other relatives, or other
10.) Do you have any other comments about your childs/childrens nutrition education that we
did not cover? Yes/No. If yes please specify.

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methods for nutrition education in elementary school: lecture- and experience-based
learning program. Nutr Res Prac. 2015; 9(1):87-91
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