Healthy Choices and the Barriers of Nutrition Education: Behavioral
Economic Status
In this decade, the roles of nutrition education have been influence in school and society due to the higher percentage of obesity and type II diabetes in among group with low education and low incomes. Many researchers and USDA assume that the cause of this issue is based on the food price, food availability, independent, lack of self-control and social class. These findings have important implication for nutrition education educator, parents, communities and government to provide the guideline of food choice, to gain the nutritional knowledge and skills for the students. However, the author Porter from "Barriers to Implementing Nutrition Education in Schools” argues that there are some of the barriers in Nutrition Education program for students and adults as well. Although he may seem of concern to only a small group of some school community member, it should in fact concern anyone who cares about their healthy choices in any social class. In this mapping issue paper, I will seek three main argument positions in nutrition education program that concern about health, education and Logistics in all ages and all social classes.
Almost every school district in the state across the U.S have nutrition education program starting from the very early stages through secondary school because it is design to provide the information, encourage behavior change conducive to adopt a healthful diet, guidelines of healthy food choices to maintain healthy lifestyle and environment. Moreover, the purpose of the Nutrition program also develop skills and behaviors related to areas such as food preparation, food preservation and storage; social and cultural aspec...
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...essed that the student should only the main subject beside the nutrition education. They claimed that having nutrition education program at the school will not help to prevent the children from obesity. For instance, people have the right to choose the foods they eat and self- control is also play in the role of the eating habit. Even though the student who already been in nutrition education program, they might still eat what they want to eat instead of thinking about their nutrition fact or health concern when feeling hungry. Because food decision based on the emotional rather than rational thought. After all, it is not easy to follow the instruction or information from nutrition education although they have gained the knowledge and skills from it. Therefore the economic researcher stated that having nutrition education program is just wasting the time and money.
...College students are the next generation of food consumers just starting to purchase and prepare their own food, setting purchasing habits that will follow them into their lives as they start their own careers. These habits will shape what food is in demand, and therefore what food is produced. Not only do college students hold financial power over the future economy, but they must make the decision of whether to become the next unhealthy generation, that will also indoctrinate their children to accept the level of food quality that is currently labeled as junk food as a standard level quality of food.
Although the two authors do not refer to each other directly in their works, both their perspectives share a common ground that no enough income make people eating less healthy. Pinsker argues that the actual barrier that stops people from eating healthy is the lack of income (129-130). He uses studies to show that poor families choose processed food because children like those tasty processed food (Pinsker 129-134). Whereas poor families cannot afford the waste if children refused to eat healthier but less tasty food parents provided (Pinsker 129-134). Cortright also suggests that income matters the most to why people do not eat healthy. He even further discusses income as the most influential limiting factor by addressing that other factors such as physical proximity to local food sources do not cause people to eat less healthy (Cortright 135-138). The two authors, in general, reach a consensus and mutually prove that income plays as the biggest limiting factor for people to have healthy
...). A future research idea piggybacks on this program by encouraging an initiation of state and/or national legislation, specifically for change moving towards healthier school nutrition and additional school nutrition education. This legislation would also mandate increases in the amount of time children are allowed for physical activity in their school day as a lack of physical activity is a huge risk factor for overweight and obesity. Another thought is to designate a school health coordinator who will be responsible for maintaining and continuing the positive work that this study began. Utilizing the success of this program and others like it in this regards will lead to action on all levels of the social ecological framework. Ultimately, a multilevel examination of determinants and interventions needs to be aimed at preventing child overweight and obesity.
In the previous chapters I discussed the problem of the lack of healthy eating promotion programs in schools are leaving parents and students uneducated about how to purchase healthy items which is leading to childhood obesity. I also discussed how the problem is being addressed, as well as the theory of social constructionism. In this chapter, I will discuss the specific methodology I plan to use and the three different types of data collection I plan to employ to carry out my study. This study will use a qualitative approach to study and address the issue of the lack of healthy eating promotion in schools. The three types of data collection I plan to use are: direct observation, focus groups and a questionnaire. These methods will be clarified later in this chapter.
Government date shows that in the past thirty years, rate of being overweight in six to eleven year olds is up 19% and 6% in age 12 to 19. Without support, school lunches remain high in fat. (Finkelstien) According to the CDCP, obesity is double what it was in children and triple in adolescents since 1980. Many reforms were attempted to help this problem, but many inadvertently caused more problems. (Finkelstien) A 730 calorie lunch should have no more than 24 grams of fat and no more than 8 grams of it saturated yet the average USDA lunch has 31 grams of fat and 14 rams of it is saturated. (Yeoman) These very high levels of fat are why obesity is becoming worse in children. It can be concluded that school food is still extremely high in fat and this can be directly linked to the high rates of obesity in young children and
Food To Students." Points Of View: Junk Food In Schools (2013): 2. Points of View
Schools should educate children about what they consume from what they offer children for breakfast and lunch. “With many schools districts facing budget shortfalls, a quick solution has come from offering more profitable fast food” (Barboza 17). In order to keep their jobs schools shouldn’t directly turn to fast food. It shouldn’t be the job of schools to decide what is fed to the children but the parents job to help decide what is best to feed their children, since the children do not know what is best for them. Money shouldn’t always be the reason that school turn to fast food companies for help. The school should receive help from it’s community so the children who go their have a place they can go and receive good quality information. “Schools get paid a kickback for every sugary soft drink or burger sold” (Barboza 24). Children usually apply what they learn from school to the real world because thats what they are taught to do. Kids who learn at school that junk food and fast food is ok so serve at breakfast and lunch will think its ok for them to eat it whenever they are not at school. In conclusion schools shouldn’t teach kids thats its ok to eat junk food and fast food by what they serve for breakfast or lunch they should be offering kids a way to better their life when at school and not at school. School should be a pl...
In the United States as in other developed nations, the level of obesity goes up every year. Obesity is a great issue as it affects individuals, society, and the government itself. In every kind of people, the number of obese increases everyday which increase the risks of getting obesity related diseases? Based on research done by Elissa and Steele, the number of young obese people has doubled in past two decades. (12) This is not surprising because as the United States industry food aggressively markets high-fat, high-sugar, super-sized food. Many schools dropped physical education, many children spend a lot of time playing computer games instead of playing sports and even fattening snacks food is sold onto campus. Family and school education on obesity awareness is the main path to decrease obesity epidemic among young people and children beside diet and physical exercises improvement. It is necessary to improve health education in American schools and families to help kids to be aware of obesity and obesity related diseases.
The intake of proper nutrients helps balance the maintenance of bodily functions; supporting the longevity of a healthy lifestyle. (Denton, Carolyn. “How does food Impact Health?” www.takingcharge.csh.umn.edu). With constant technological advance in the world, it is important to become aware of how frequent the world changes daily in preparation for self-maturity. What is a more effective way to approach the real world than to have a direct experience? The researcher will address the topic on why community high schools in America should allow its students off campus during lunch. Allowing children to have a better lunch option could help educational strength as well as attend to other essential needs. (Anderson, Melinda. “Do healthy lunches
Poor nutritional habits have been identified as one of many contributing factors to the increase in childhood obesity. While a multi-disciplinary approach involving family, teachers, medical care providers and the community is desirable, schools, particularly teachers, are in a unique position to play a major role in the education of children and adolescents about nutrition and the prevention of obesity. “Schools are important settings to implement prevention and intervention due to their access, duration of exposure, and subsequent impact on the behavior of children and adolescents” (Pyle, Sharkey, Yetter, Felix, Furlong, & Poston, 2006, p. 372). The challenge of schools, then, is to design and effectively implement a successful curriculum incorporating traditional lecture style, core information with the learning styles and technology skills of today’s 21st century learners, the Net Generation.
Unfortunately, in today’s society, school administrators focus heavily on standardized test scores and school rankings thus adding more pressure on students and teachers. This being said, schools have begun to focus on providing healthy foods because they help increase a person’s cognitive and critical thinking ability. It is seen that nutrition plays a great role in students’ performance on exams and physical activity due to the correlation between school provided meals and low student
The seventh grade health curriculum at Wayne Central teaches that foods are either gold, silver, or bronze; representing healthy, okay, and unhealthy retrospectively. This information is accompanied by instruction to not eat bronze foods and eat silver foods sparingly. Education that gives strict, polarized, definitions of food can cause adolescents to become pre-occupied with what they eat and dissatisfied with themselves. Welch, McMahon, and Wright conducted a study on the ways nutrition and health have become increasingly influential to children’s everyday behaviors and conceptualizations of food. The study included an interview of 32 primary students in which the children were asked, “What does health mean to you?” Students’ answers indicated extensive consideration was given to classifying foods as ‘good’, ‘bad’, ‘healthy’ and ‘unhealthy’. All students, except one who answered “protein”, defined “healthy” or “good” foods as fruits and vegetables, well omitting mention of other essential food groups. Sugar, fat, and “junk” food such as chips, cookies, and cake were among answers describing ‘bad’ or ‘unhealthy’ foods. “In the interviews the consumption of the ‘wrong’… food was always regarded as dangerous and transgressive, signifying ‘bad’ or ‘sinful’ practices…. The consistency and intensity of this message shapes the thoughts of individuals in ways that can conjure up feelings of shame and disgust” (Welch et
Moreover, the controversy over cafeteria food is whether or not it is healthy for all students from elementary schools to colleges. Numerous factors lead to unhealthy eating in schools and on campuses. Sometimes options with better nutrition are offered, but when there are, they tend to be less appealing than the unhealthy foods which turns to obesity. Many schools are undergoing budget cuts and changes, and healthy food tends to take a back burner when deciding where the limited amounts of money should go (Gupta). Unfortunately, when schools do have healthy ingredients, the food is usually prep...
Nutritionism is the ideology that the nutritional value of a food is the sum of all its individual nutrients, vitamins, and other components. In the book, “In Defense of Food” by Michael Pollan, he critiques scientists and government recommendations about their nutritional advice. Pollan presents a strong case pointing out the many flaws and problems that have risen over the years of following scientific studies and government related warnings on the proper amount of nutrients needed for a healthy diet. Pollan’s main point is introducing science into our food system has had more of a negative impact than a positive one, we should go back to eating more of a traditional diet. I believe food science has given us
Educational institutions have the potential to, first and foremost, educate and assist the young people of today with making the positive, healthful choices necessary to maintain good health. Over 4,500 students have been followed in recent research studies and these “thousands of sixth graders who participated in a school-based health program were less obese by eighth grade than a group of similar children who did not, according to a new study done for the National Institutes of Health” (Rabin). Schools need to create health programs focused on assisting all children suffering from being overweight or obese. Policies such as fitness programs, nutrition classes, and healthful meals can even impact every student by creating a strong foundation and awareness of the negative, long term effects associated with practicing unhealthy habits. Although the financial expenses would be necessary, the adaption of scho...