Experts' views regarding Australian school-leavers' knowledge of nutrition and food systems

Parents’ Communication with Teachers about Food and Nutrition Issues of Primary School Students

Parents and teachers have a major influence in the formation of primary school children’s eating behaviours. Although the cooperation of parents and teachers has frequently been recommended in the promotion of healthy eating habits among primary school children, little is known about the communication between these two groups regarding food- and nutrition-related issues. This paper reports findings from semi-structured interviews with primary school parents (n = 19) and primary teachers (n = 17), as well as findings from a survey of 787 parents in Australia. Audio-recorded interviews were analysed using NVivo and descriptive statistics were calculated for the survey questions. The results indicated that their communications involved various topics, including allergies, lunchbox content, and supervision requests, through diverse communication channels. The risk of offending each other and time scarcity were reported as communication barriers. Parents mainly expected teachers to ensure that their children were given enough time to eat their lunch, teach healthy eating, and be good role models of healthy eating. This study highlights the need to overcome communication barriers between parents and teachers and support teachers in their multifaceted professional roles.

Essential food and nutrition knowledge and skills for primary school children: Australian parents' opinions

Purpose

This paper examines the views of Australian primary school parents regarding the food and nutrition education (FNE) curriculum. Associations with personal values (Universalism and Hedonism) and demographic measures were also explored.

Design/methodology/approach

An online survey was conducted among 787 parents in March 2021. Parents rated the importance of 17 FNE topics. They were also asked about their support for six curriculum improvements and to state their own improvement suggestions.

Findings

Parents viewed the “Effect of food on health” and “Food hygiene” as the most important topics. Three FNE components were derived: (1) food safety and preparation, (2) health and nutrition information, (3) food origins and environmental sustainability. The “Food safety and preparation” component score was associated with both universalism-nature and hedonism values but negatively associated with parental education. The “Health and nutrition information” component score was associated with universalism-nature value and main language spoken at home. Lastly, the “Food origins and environmental sustainability” component score was associated with universalism-nature value. The two personal values, universalism-nature and hedonism, were more strongly associated with parents' views of curriculum topics than parental demographic characteristics. Parents had several criticisms of current FNE, including school food environments not resonating with FNE taught in the classroom and that FNE might increase the risk of eating disorders. They also suggested that the FNE curriculum should support both parents and teachers by providing relevant resources and training.

Originality/value

Australian parents' views of the importance of FNE topics and how to improve FNE in primary schools have been under-examined.

Nutrition across the curriculum: a scoping review exploring the integration of nutrition education within primary schools

Primary schools contribute to promoting healthy eating behaviour and preventing overweight and obesity by providing nutrition education. Research highlights the importance of improving teachers' programme implementation to enhance intervention effectiveness. An integrative approach has been suggested to reduce time barriers that teachers currently experience in teaching nutrition. This scoping review explores use and effectiveness of integrative teaching in primary-school-based nutrition education programmes. Six databases were searched for primary-school-based interventions on nutrition education. Papers reporting on integration of nutrition topics within core curriculum were included. Abstracts and full texts of potentially relevant articles were screened to determine eligibility. Next, data were extracted and tabulated. Findings were collated and summarised to describe intervention characteristics, subject integration and effectiveness of the included programmes. Data describing integration of nutrition into the primary school curriculum were extracted from 39 eligible papers. Nutrition education programmes often involve lessons about food groups and are frequently embedded within the mathematics, science or literacy syllabus. Although articles report on the integration of nutrition, the use of this approach was not commonly described in detail. Only seven papers discussed student outcomes related to the integration of nutrition education within core subjects. The ability to draw strong conclusions about school-based nutrition intervention effectiveness is limited by the current lack of programme description and methodological issues. Hence, more research is warranted to inform evidence on effectiveness of integrative nutrition education for both teacher and student outcomes. Future studies that include greater detail regarding the integrative approach are needed.

Integrating nutrition into the mathematics curriculum in Australian primary schools: protocol for a randomised controlled trial

Background

Nutrition education programs in schools have been effective in improving children’s knowledge and behaviours related to food and nutrition. However, teachers find it challenging to implement such programs due to overcrowded curricula. Integrating nutrition with core subjects such as mathematics could potentially address time constraints and improve the learning of both. The primary aim of this randomized controlled trial (RCT) is to evaluate the impact of a cross-curricular nutrition and mathematics program on primary school students’ portion size estimation skills. Secondary aims include impact on their nutrition knowledge, attitudes towards mathematics and evaluating the quality of the lessons.

Methods

Twelve Year 3–4 classes from Catholic schools in New South Wales, Australia will be randomised to intervention (n = 6) or control (n = 6) groups. Teachers in the intervention group will receive a professional development workshop and resources to teach 4–5 lessons on portion size and measurements across 1–4 weeks. Outcome measures include portion size estimation skills, nutrition knowledge and attitudes towards mathematics, with data collected during three school visits (pre-intervention, immediately post-intervention, 4 weeks post-intervention). Additionally, teaching quality will be assessed in both intervention and control groups and process evaluation undertaken using teacher interviews and student focus groups.

Discussion

This RCT uses an innovative approach to improve both nutrition and mathematics related learning outcomes among primary school children. It has the potential to impact teaching practices regarding integration of nutrition into curricula and enhance the implementation of nutrition education interventions.

Trial registration

Australian and New Zealand Clinical Trials Register ACTRN12619001071112 31/07/2019.

Food and nutrition education opportunities within Australian primary schools

Schools are regarded as a key setting for obesity prevention, providing an opportunity to reach a large number of children, frequently and over a prolonged period, through formal and informal opportunities to learn about health behaviours. However, the low value placed on health versus academic achievement is a barrier to effective implementation of food and nutrition (F&N) education. This study used a qualitative exploratory approach to explore the views of teachers and key health and education sector stakeholders regarding opportunities for F&N education within the Australian primary school setting. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to explore this topic from the perspectives of state-level coordination and development through to local-level implementation and support within the Australian primary school context. Only 2.6% of the Victorian Curriculum related to F&N education, taught through two (of seven) learning outcomes: Health and Physical Education, and Technologies. While stakeholders considered child health a priority, and schools an ideal setting for F&N education, barriers included a lack of strategic policy alignment, limited leadership and coordination, a ‘crowded curriculum’ and poor availability of shelf-ready resources with explicit curriculum links. A cross-curriculum approach was considered essential for F&N education to become embedded as a core component of the curriculum.

Senior Secondary School Food Literacy Education: Importance, Challenges, and Ways of Improving

Food literacy education at senior secondary school can provide both immediate and long-term benefits for adolescents. The exploration of multiple stakeholder groups’ opinions regarding the importance, roles, and challenges of school food literacy education, and their suggestions for its improvement, will help the design and execution of future food literacy-related curricula and programmes. This study explored a broad range of Australian and international food, health, and education professionals’ opinions regarding senior secondary school food literacy education through an online survey. One hundred and fifty-five food, health, and education professionals completed this survey between April and October 2017. Overall, the respondents strongly supported the need for food literacy education for senior secondary school students. Their suggestions for improving this form of education included: incorporation of relevant and up-to-date content, the presence of strong practical components, offering food literacy as compulsory subjects or the incorporation of food literacy concepts into compulsory core subjects. Moreover, they proposed the active contribution of both internal and external stakeholders in the planning and delivery of this education to upgrade its quality and relevance. Overall, the findings suggest that a wide range of food, health, and education professionals are highly supportive of senior secondary school food literacy education and their constructive suggestions should be considered in school food literacy education enhancement efforts. Education authorities should seek ways of involving different stakeholders, including food-related professionals, in the design and delivery of food literacy education, and future studies should explore the best mechanisms for such involvement.

What Should Be Taught in Secondary Schools' Nutrition and Food Systems Education? Views from Prominent Food-Related Professionals in Australia

Education can help young people to attain the knowledge and the skills that they need to make proper food choices and develop lifelong healthy eating patterns. This study explored the perspectives of prominent food-related professionals in Australia regarding essential nutrition and food systems (N&FS) education programs for adolescents during formal education. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 21 prominent food-related professionals in Australia. Interview transcripts were analysed thematically. Four essential areas for N&FS education programs were identified. (1) Key nutrition messages to a healthy lifestyle; (2) Skill development programs to enhance health and wellbeing; (3) Ethical food-related lessons to support environmental sustainability, farm animal welfare, local producers, and food security; and, (4) Introductory lessons about foods from farm to plate to facilitate more informed food choices. Findings of this study may provide new insights for curriculum developers in Australia for further assessment of the current gaps in N&FS components of secondary school curriculum. Integration of these four areas into secondary school curricula has the potential to enhance adolescents’ knowledge of important scientific and ethical issues in a range of N&FS fields, and enable them to develop fundamental food-related life skills that are supportive of health and wellbeing.