scholarly journals Supporting a Participatory Process for Evidence on Healthy Eating to Promote Healthy Diet among Children: An Illustration from Nigeria

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 269-276
Author(s):  
Yetunde John-Akinola ◽  
Odunayo Akano ◽  
Oluwasegun Akinwale

Objective: In this study, we assessed children’s perception of healthy eating and investigated the contents of lunch boxes packed from home. Methods: Overall, 728 pupils in first to sixth class across 25 primary schools in Ibadan, South West Nigeria wrote their perceptions of healthy eating on small colored papers. Contents of lunch boxes were observed during the school lunch period. Descriptive and qualitative analysis was carried out and data were represented in word clouds and figures. Results: Most pupils (97.9%) listed food items that they referred to as healthy food, represented in a word cloud. Further categorization showed that few pupils identified fruits (5.3%) and vegetables (2.4%) as healthy food. Pupils in private schools were 1.9 times more likely to have pastries in their lunch boxes than public schools (OR = 1.914, 95% CI: 1.121-3.268). Conclusions: Multiple educational interventions should be targeted at the pupil-, parent-, and school-level to promote healthy eating behaviors. The use of communication materials with pictorial depiction of examples of healthy food could serve as a reinforcing factor to help maintain positive behavioral change.

2015 ◽  
Vol 18 (9) ◽  
pp. 1635-1646 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pascale Morin ◽  
Karine Demers ◽  
Éric Robitaille ◽  
Alexandre Lebel ◽  
Sherri Bisset

AbstractObjectiveA school environment that encourages students to opt for food with sound nutritional value is both essential and formative in ensuring that young people adopt healthy eating habits. The present study explored the associations between the socio-economic characteristics of the school environment and the school food environment.DesignA cross-sectional survey was conducted in 2008–2009. Descriptive and bivariate analyses were performed on data from public primary and secondary schools.SettingQuebec, Canada. The school food offering was observed directly and systematically by trained research assistants. Interviews were conducted to fully describe food offerings in the schools and schools’ child-care services.SubjectsA two-stage stratified sampling was used to build a representative sample of 143 French-speaking public schools. The response rate was 66·2 %.ResultsThe primary and secondary schools in low-density areas were more likely to be located near diners (primary:P=0·018; secondary:P=0·007). The secondary schools in deprived areas were less likely to have a regular food committee (P=0·004), to seek student input on menu choices (P=0·001) or to have a long lunch period (P=0·010). The primary schools in deprived areas were less likely to have a food service (P=0·025) and their meal periods were shorter (P=0·033).ConclusionsThe schools in areas with lower socio-economic status provided an environment less favourable for a healthy diet. From a public health perspective, the results of this analysis could assist policy makers and managers to identify actions to support the creation of favourable school environments.


2020 ◽  
Vol 79 (OCE2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura van der Velde ◽  
Linde Schuilenburg ◽  
Jyothi Thrivikraman ◽  
Mattijs Numans ◽  
Jessica Kiefte-de Jong

AbstractIntroductionHealthy eating behaviors are essential determinants of overall health. These behaviors are generally poor among people at risk of experiencing food insecurity, which may be caused by many factors including perceived higher costs of healthy foods, financial stress, inadequate nutrition knowledge, and inadequate skills required for healthy food preparation. Few studies have examined how these factors influence eating behaviors among people at risk of experiencing food insecurity. We therefore aimed to gain a better understanding of the needs and perceptions regarding healthy eating in this target group.MethodsWe conducted a qualitative open interview study with 10 participants at risk of experiencing food insecurity. Thematic analysis identified four core themes on factors influencing healthy eating behaviors: (1) health related topics, influences on eating behaviors by both the (2) social and (3) physical environment, and (4) financial influences on eating behaviors.ResultsOverall, participants showed adequate nutrition knowledge. However, eating behaviors were strongly influenced by both social environmental factors (e.g. child food preferences and cultural food habits), and physical environmental factors (e.g. temptations in the local food environment). Perceived barriers for healthy eating behaviors included poor mental health, financial stress, and high prices of healthy foods. Participants had a generally positive and conscious attitude towards their financial situation, among others reflected in their strategies to cope with a limited budget. Food insecurity was mostly mentioned in reference to the past or to others and not to participants’ own current experiences. Participants were familiar with several existing resources to reduce food-related financial strain and generally had a positive attitude towards these resources. An exception was the Food Bank, which was highly criticized on its food parcel content. Proposed new resources included distributing free meals, facilitating social contacts, increasing healthy food supply in the neighborhood, and lowering prices of healthy foods.ConclusionThe insights from this study increase understanding of factors influencing healthy eating behaviors of people at risk of food insecurity. Therefore, this study could inform future development of potential interventions aiming at helping people at risk of experiencing food insecurity to improve healthy eating, thereby decreasing the risk of diet-related diseases.


2016 ◽  
Vol 50 (suppl 1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura Augusta Barufaldi ◽  
Gabriela de Azevedo Abreu ◽  
Juliana Souza Oliveira ◽  
Debora França dos Santos ◽  
Elizabeth Fujimori ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT OBJECTIVE To describe the prevalence of eating habits considered healthy in adolescents according to sex, age, education level of the mother, school type, session of study, and geographic region. METHODS The assessed data come from the Study of Cardiovascular Risks in Adolescents (ERICA), a cross-sectional, national and school-based study. Adolescents of 1,247 schools of 124 Brazilian municipalities were evaluated using a self-administered questionnaire with a section on aspects related to eating behaviors. The following eating behaviors were considered healthy: consuming breakfast, drinking water, and having meals accompanied by parents or legal guardians. All prevalence estimates were presented proportionally, with their respective 95% confidence intervals. The Chi-square test was used to evaluate the differences in healthy eating habits prevalences according to other variables. The module survey of the Stata program version 13.0 was used to analyze complex data. RESULTS We evaluated 74,589 adolescents (72.9% of the eligible students). Of these, 55.2% were female, average age being 14.6 years (SD = 1.6). Among Brazilian adolescents, approximately half of them showed healthy eating habits when consuming breakfast, drinking five or more glasses of water a day, and having meals with parents or legal guardians. All analyzed healthy eating habits showed statistically significant differences by sex, age, type of school, session of study, or geographic region. CONCLUSIONS We suggest that specific actions of intersectoral approach are implemented for the dissemination of the benefits of healthy eating habits. Older female adolescents (15 to 17 years old) who studied in public schools, resided in the Southeast region, and whose mothers had lower education levels, should be the focus of these actions since they present lower frequencies concerning the evaluated healthy habits.


2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (S1-May) ◽  
pp. 117-125
Author(s):  
Cihat Atar

The Processability Theory suggests that teacha bility and learn ability of a language is constrained by what learners are ready to acquire. This means that what is presented to the learners should be in line with their level and readiness. Textbooks are one of the fundamental resources of language learning and teaching, and in this sense, analyzing them is very significant for ensuring that they are appropriate for the target learner group. Accordingly, this study aims to find out whether the stages of different morphosyntactic structuresin 5 English textbooks are sequenced according to the developmental stages offered bythe Processability Theory and whether these 5 textbooks complement each other from the 2nd grade to 4th grade. The 5 English textbooks that are currently being used in public schools in Turkey at primary school level were selected. Textbook Analysis as a part of Document Analysis was undertaken, and the morphosyntactic structures provided in the units of these textbooks were analyzed. The findings suggest that the textbooks follow the stages suggested by the Processability Theory in general; however, there are some incompatibilities as well. The sequential development from the 2nd grade to the 4th grade is in a complementary fashion in that they tend to focus on later stages of morphological development as grade increases except for Primary School Just Fun English 3 (Tıraş, 2018) which was found to present a few morphosyntactic structures that are slightly from higher stages for the expected developmental stage while most of the structures of this textbook conforms to the developmental stages of the Processability Theory as well.


2018 ◽  
Vol 6 (7) ◽  
pp. 1-8
Author(s):  
Benard Litali Ashiono

This article reports on a study that was carried out to establish determinants of ICT integration in mathematics teaching and learning. This paper focuses on the kind of support teachers require to effectively use ICT in teaching mathematics. An exploratory sequential mixed methods research design was employed to conduct this study in which quantitative data was initially collected in the first phase. Qualitative data was then collected in the second phase to explain the quantitative data collected in the initial phase. The study targeted all the teachers teaching in lower grades in both private and public schools. A sample size of 40 lower primary schools were purposively selected based on the availability of ICT tools for instructional purposes in those schools. Three teachers teaching in grade one, two and three were then selected using simple random sampling technique especially in cases where more than three teachers existed. Teacher Questionnaire, Teacher Interview Protocol and Observation Protocol were used to collect data. Data was analyzed qualitatively using descriptive phenomenological analysis in which data transcriptions were divided into themes and sub-themes related to phenomena under study. The findings of the study revealed that there was a significant relationship between supporting teachers’ use of ICT in the classroom and their actual use of ICT in teaching mathematics. The study findings however revealed that teachers teaching lower grades in Mombasa, Kenya were not adequately supported in their use of ICT in teaching mathematics. It was recommended that teachers must be granted adequate support in their use of ICT in teaching mathematics.


2020 ◽  
Vol 79 (Suppl 1) ◽  
pp. 1942.2-1943
Author(s):  
G. Pimentel ◽  
A. Marques ◽  
R. Ferreira ◽  
E. Mateus ◽  
A. Pais

Background:International studies have shown that the awareness and knowledge of the general population about rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases (RMDs) is poor. This is even lower in the young population, which are also affected by these disease but do not have as much awareness campaigns as adult community. Their professors and primary health care professionals may also play here also a key role, promoting early detection of signs and interpretations of symptoms, thus avoiding late health care referrals and diagnosis. (Vlieland, 2016).Objectives:To assess the knowledge of high school Portuguese students about the RMDs and raise awareness for RMDs in young people, their professors, vigilants, and primary care nurses, within the school environment.Methods:A 1-hour educational session about RMDs was planned (with the inputs from members of the Portuguese EULAR Associations) and performed during school activities. The educational session started with a knowledge questionnaire about RMDs in a paper sheet (9 questions; Graph 1), repeated in the end. An interactive session, using slides, interactive questions (Sli.do®), and practical demonstrations to simulate RMD symptoms (e.g. stiffness and functional limitations) was then lead by a rheumatology nurse, with the testimony from a young patient representative. A primary care nurse assisted in order to be engaged and promote future sessions (“autonomously”). Change in knowledge was assessed with Wilcoxon-test and awareness was documented with “word clouds” (using Sli.do®).Results:A total of 75 students participated in four sessions (mode=16 years). Half of students (52%) had never heard about RMDs. Knowledge increased significantly in all questions (p<0.001; Graph 1). Figures 1 and 2 document the most common words representing what defines a RMD and what are the main symptoms, respectively.Conclusion:Our results confirm that awareness and knowledge about RMDs are very low high school students. The single and educational session was very well received by all students, and the the knowledge increased. Post-educational feedback was that students especially liked the testimony of a peer. Other sessions are taking place in primary schools.References:[1]Vlieland, T. P., et al. RMD Open, 2016;2:e000337. doi:10.1136/rmdopen- 2016-000337Acknowledgments:To European League Against Rheumatism for the founding provided through the campaign “Don’t Delay, Connect Today”.Disclosure of Interests:None declared


2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Amy Cassata ◽  
Elaine Allensworth

Abstract Background The Common Core Standards for Mathematics and Next Generation Science Standards were adopted by states with the goal of preparing students with knowledge and skills needed for college, careers, and citizenry. Adopting these standards necessitated considerable changes in instructional practice. While teacher leadership is known to be important for instructional change, there is little research that articulates the processes through which that influence occurs, and how contextual factors constrain or support those processes. This paper provides a case study of efforts in the Chicago Public Schools to promote widespread instructional change around standards reform through a teacher leader model using retrospective from 2013 to 2017 interviews with 16 math and science teacher leaders serving grades 6–12, along with quantitative analysis of district-wide data showing patterns of change and professional learning. It builds off prior research to articulate a framework of how teacher leaders promote instructional change. Findings There were five patterns of teacher leader action: inspiring others, sharing with colleagues, working in collaboration, advocating for change, and providing individual support, and an interplay between teacher actions and school-level contextual factors, with some contextual factors more important than others for different types of actions. In particular, sharing and collaborative work were facilitated in schools with designated collaboration time, trusting relationships, and colleagues who were also trained and knowledgeable about the new standards. The degree of collective efficacy the teacher leaders felt seemed to be driven mostly by the presence of other knowledgeable change agents in the school. Conclusions and implications The study adds to the existing literature on teacher leadership by articulating the mechanisms through which teachers exert influence around instructional improvement of their school peers and providing examples of each. Further, the study illustrates how these mechanisms are facilitated or constrained by the larger school context. Together, the articulation of mechanisms and contexts, along with illustrative examples, provides a guide for supporting instructional change through teacher leadership in schools and districts.


2020 ◽  
Vol 78 (Supplement_3) ◽  
pp. 27-30
Author(s):  
Takashi Sakata ◽  

Abstract Working Group 2 of the Healthy Diet Research Committee of International Life Sciences Institute Japan (WG2) assessed the concept and practice of healthy eating in the ready-to-eat food/meal industry in Japan. WG2 interviewed 14 arbitrarily selected member companies that included “health” or “nutrition” in their management policy, and sent a questionnaire to 338 member companies of the Japan Ready-Made Meal Association. Ready-to-eat food/meal suppliers mainly referred to Dietary Reference Intakes for Japanese, the Japanese Food Guide, and/or Healthy Japan 21 for their menu construction. They increased dietary fiber, variety, vegetables, whole-grain cereals, millet rice, and soy bean products; and reduced energy, carbohydrates, and salt in “healthy” food. They tended to avoid making direct appeals to health. Many companies reduced the salt content without drawing attention to the practice. They continually strive to improve flavor as the single most important factor for selling healthy food. The cycling of menus is used to increase diversity in food consumption. These industries require both academia and the government to define priorities for increasing and decreasing particular nutrients as the main targets and to establish the maximum time for balancing each nutrient.


2020 ◽  
Vol 83 (6) ◽  
pp. 375-386
Author(s):  
Debbie Kramer-Roy ◽  
Denise Hashim ◽  
Nighat Tahir ◽  
Areeba Khan ◽  
Asma Khalid ◽  
...  

Introduction Occupational therapists around the world increasingly seek to support the participation of children with disabilities and special educational needs in mainstream education. Contemporary school-based occupational therapy practice is progressing from an individual, impairment focus towards collaborative, universal interventions at the whole class and whole school level. Participation-focused practice and collaboration is particularly important, but uncommon, in low-resource contexts such as Pakistan. Methods This article reports on collaborative action research that developed the role of occupational therapy in inclusive education in Karachi, Pakistan. A research team consisting of occupational therapists and teachers worked with five local primary schools, using the action research cycles of plan–implement–observe–reflect to develop practical strategies, materials and inclusive lesson plans to facilitate the participation of all children in all school-based occupations. Findings Support from school management and interdisciplinary collaboration were crucial for implementing change. In addition, strategies like inclusive lesson planning were found to benefit all children in class. Collaborative action research led to increased professional confidence in the teachers and occupational therapists, and skill development through developing a resource guide, running workshops and presenting at (inter)national conferences. Conclusion Collaborative action research was an effective means to develop the occupational therapy role in inclusive education practices in Pakistan, develop culturally appropriate educational resources, and upskill local therapists and teachers.


2013 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 257-264 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marco Farina ◽  
Marco Maglionico ◽  
Marco Pollastri ◽  
Irena Stojkov

For most buildings considered to be of a public non-residential type there are insufficient published data to establish and compare the theoretical standards with actual consumption data. Therefore, water consumption per user in non-residential buildings is still a very complicated issue for engineers and designers involved in analysing water demand and water management. This is why linking water consumption and school occupancy is the goal of this paper, trying to set the basis for further design, conservation and educational interventions on this topic. This research integrates quantitative data of water consumption, through water metering and analysis, and historical data about users in buildings. We focused on consumptions for four types of schools: nurseries (0–3-year-old children), kindergartens (3–6 years), elementary schools (6–11 years) and secondary 1st grade schools (11–14 years). The results are that the rational basic demand for water is estimated as 48.8 l per pre-school student per day and 18.7 l per elementary/secondary school student per day. Therefore we found that younger children use more water on a daily basis than older ones, probably because they need more services, such as laundries and kitchens, whereas older students consume water mainly in restrooms.


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