HEALTHY EATING FOR YOUNG PEOPLE IN EUROPE A school-based nutrition education guide (original) (raw)
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Food Service Technology, 2005
Changes in the eating habits of young people in Europe and the resulting growth in obesity and overweight are giving cause for concern. The Council of Europe in 2001 decided to establish an ad hoc group consisting of national experts to review the issues. Since then the group has studied current school food practices in Europe in order to be able to issue guidelines targeted at international, national, local and institutional levels. A survey was undertaken on behalf of the Council of Europe and World Health Organization (WHO, European Office) as a starting point. The study was an update of a previous survey carried out in the process of developing the ENHPS healthy eating in school manual and the results were presented at a forum held by the Council of Europe in collaboration with the WHO entitled The European Forum on Eating at School -Making Healthy Choices on the 20th and 21st November 2003. In addition, a number of experts from a range of professional backgrounds, all with a common interest in healthy eating in schools, were invited to present research results and discuss the way forward. The results from the forum have since been compiled into a forum report. The aim of this paper is to present and discuss the findings of the European Network of Health Promoting Schools group and its implications for school food service in the future; to discuss, in general, how schools can become a more active arena for the promotion of healthy eating, and how food service can contribute in this respect. The results present an overview of how food provision is organized in primary and secondary schools, at home, outside the school, lunch boxes, kiosk type outlets, vending machines, cash cafeterias and canteens as well as 'special food promotions'. Data on how school food is financed and operated are presented together with the findings on future consumer demand. The findings and their implications for school food service operators are discussed. Barriers include improving logistics, reviewing the healthiness of food provision, the use of vending machines, involving stakeholders, complying with standards, integrating food and nutrition issues in the curriculum and giving due attention to future consumer demands. In conclusion, the paper presents guidelines on healthy eating at school issued by the Council of Europe on the basis of the forum and the work done in the ad hoc group.
The school setting: an opportunity for the implementation of dietary guidelines
Public Health Nutrition, 2001
Nutrition, physical activity and health related promotion programmes in schools have developed into a mature field of research over the past decades. A number of success factors have been identified and evidence-based interventions have been performed. However, the school setting as an arena for evidence-based health promotion programmes, is still not used to its full potential. Schools provide an excellent arena for reaching large segments of the population, such as young people, school staff, families and the surrounding community. There is a need for an overview regarding the current status of nutrition, physical activity, related health as well as support structures in the EU member states. Based upon such an analysis, a consensus report should be written, pointing out the major problems at hand. Self-assessment tools for national as well as for school level should be produced, in order to guide changes, but also to include an element of continuous assessment of change, for evaluation purposes.
Food and nutrient intake, nutritional knowledge and diet-related attitudes in European adolescents
International Journal of Obesity, 2008
Background and objective: To provide an overview of methods used to assess food and nutrient intake, nutritional knowledge and diet-related attitudes in the Healthy Lifestyle in Europe by Nutrition in Adolescence Cross-Sectional Study (HELENA-CSS), with selected results from the feasibility study. Material and Methods: To assess food intake in 13-to 16-year-old adolescents, a previously developed computer-assisted and self-administered 24-h recall was adapted for international use. Food consumption data were linked to national food composition databases to calculate energy and nutrient intakes. To assess nutritional knowledge in pupils not having any special (trained) education concerning 'nutrition', a 23-item validated multiple choice questionnaire was adapted. To assess eating attitudes, behaviour and/or putative problems with body weight in adolescents, a validated inventory covering 60 questions or statements was adapted for the study. In a feasibility study, instruments, data collection and processing were tested in one school class in each of the 10 participating European cities. Results and Conclusions: The feasibility study provided plausible results, quite consistent between countries. Against this background and for the first time, standardized and uniform methodology was made available for the main study to assess and characterize dietary intake, nutritional knowledge and eating attitudes.
British Journal of Nutrition, 2010
The objective of the present review was to summarise the existing European published and ‘grey’ literature on the effectiveness of school-based interventions to promote a healthy diet in children (6–12 years old) and adolescents (13–18 years old). Eight electronic databases, websites and contents of key journals were systematically searched, reference lists were screened, and authors and experts in the field were contacted for studies evaluating school-based interventions promoting a healthy diet and aiming at primary prevention of obesity. The studies were included if they were published between 1 January 1990 and 31 December 2007 and reported effects on dietary behaviour or on anthropometrics. Finally, forty-two studies met the inclusion criteria: twenty-nine in children and thirteen in adolescents. In children, strong evidence of effect was found for multicomponent interventions on fruit and vegetable intakes. Limited evidence of effect was found for educational interventions on ...
Nutrition education in schools: experiences and challenges
European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2003
Health promotion from the early stages in life by fostering healthy eating practices and regular physical activity has the potential for a major impact on health and well-being during childhood and later stages in life. School-based nutrition education should consider the needs and interests of students, teachers and the school. Educational strategies include efforts to increase health awareness, communication and skill building. Previous literature reviews identified educational strategies directly relevant to a behavioural focus and theory-driven strategies among the elements conducive to successful programmes. Other features that contribute to gain effectiveness are the provision of adequate time and intensity for the intervention, involvement of families, particularly for younger children, and incorporation of self-assessment and feedback in interventions for older children. School meals provide a valuable opportunity for nutrition education. The emphasis on environmental and behavioural factors in successful school-based physical activity and nutrition interventions highlights the importance of involving parents and other community members.
School-based nutrition education: lessons learned and new perspectives
Public Health Nutrition, 2001
Nutrition is a major environmental influence on physical and mental growth and development in early life. Food habits during infancy can influence preferences and practices in later life and some evidence suggests fair to moderate tracking of food habits from childhood to adolescence1–4. Studies support that good nutrition contributes to improving the wellbeing of children and their potential learning ability, thus contributing to better school performance5–7. Children and young people who learn healthy eating habits, are encouraged to be physically active, to avoid smoking and to learn to manage stress, have the potential for reduced impact of chronic diseases in adulthood4–8. Nutrition education is a key element to promoting lifelong healthy eating and exercise behaviours and should start from the early stages of life8–11; it should also address the specific nutritional needs associated with pregnancy, including reinforcing breastfeeding12.Food habits are complex in nature and mul...
Nutrition education in school curriculum: impact on adolescents’ attitudes and dietary behaviours
International Journal of Health Promotion and Education, 2019
This study explores the status of nutrition education in Moroccan curricula designed for Middle School level. The study also investigates attitudes and behaviour in relation to nutrition among students across grade levels before the nutrition related program and those with nutrition education incorporated in the curriculum. Findings show that nutrition education has been explicitly addressed as part of the curriculum of Life and Earth Sciences in Middle school level, grade 3 (age 14-15 years), covering various topics. However, nutrition education has not been integrated in the curricula of other grades and subject areas. The competency-based approach was adopted to introduce the curriculum. The incorporation of nutrition education in Sciences curriculum resulted in a significant increase in students' knowledge regarding nutritionrelated diseases, in caring for nutritive value of foods and in fresh vegetables preference, with a decrease in soda drinks (p < 0.05). Although adolescents' attitudes towards nutrition issues were found to be positive, their daily eating habits did not necessary match their attitude and eating habits. Several factors of influence may impact adolescents' dietary habits and food choices, including family, school and media. Based on the study results, to make curriculum more effective in improving adolescents' attitudes and healthy eating practices, the authors recommend nutrition related topics should be taught with theory-based, behaviour-focused and interdisciplinary approaches using innovative methods. Also nutrition education requires considering different sources of influences and collaborative efforts actively involving curriculum developers, teachers, family members, food professionals, dietitians and media as well.
British Journal of Nutrition, 2016
Although the impact of diet on physical health is an important public health issue, less attention has been devoted to the relationship between nutrition and children’s mental development. The views of parents and teachers about the extent to which diet affects physical and mental development of children were compared in four European countries. An online questionnaire (developed in English and translated) was circulated through a market research agency. Participants were parents or teachers of children aged 4–10 years without learning or behavioural issues. Questionnaires were returned by 1606 parents (401 in England, Germany and Hungary; 403 in Spain) and 403 teachers (100 in each country, except for 103 in Hungary). Teachers were older than parents (35·3 %v. 18·3 % over 45 years;P<0·001) and less likely to smoke (15·9 %v. 26·3…