web viewwhich is directed to elementary schools to encourage a new plan to eat healthy and ... of a...

Running Head: KIDS AND NUTRITION 1

Kids and Nutrition:

A Course to Create Healthy Eating Habits for Children

Elise Hosty

Kansas State University

KIDS AND NUTRITION 2

TABLE OF CONTENTS

PAGE CONTENT

1 Title Page

2 Table of Contents

3-7 Introduction

8 Goals and Objectives

9 Agenda

10-13 Teaching Unit

14-16 Conclusion and Evaluation

17 References

18 Handout for Class


Proper nutrition promotes optimal growth and development in children, thus

making it so important that your child is living a healthy life. According to the American

Psychological Association, starting a healthy lifestyle during childhood can have long-

term advantages. Starting healthy habits early make it more likely your child will

continue these healthy habits throughout the rest of their life. While nutrition is important

for everyone, it is especially vital for children because it is directly linked to all aspects in

growth and development (Hatter, 2014).

Children have important dietary needs they need to fulfill to grow properly. They

need foods that contain vitamins, minerals, carbohydrates, and protein that will help

provide the nutrients necessary for their development. Children who consume a healthy

diet receive direct brain development benefits as well. For example, if a child does not

get the right nutrients, like iron or iodine, they may experience cognitive and motor

development delays. Likewise, a child who does not get enough essential fatty acids may

experience delays in learning and development. Eating healthy foods can also reduce

health problems many children face like heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, and

of course obesity (Hatter, 2014).

It is first important to define healthy eating to fully understand how to help your

kids eat the right foods. Healthy eating involves consuming a variety of nutritious foods

and incorporating foods from all the different food groups into every meal to ensure kids

have a well-rounded diet (Hatter, 2014). Typically, adults and children should aim to

consume on a daily basis 6-11 servings of grains, 2-4 servings of fruit, 3-5 servings of

vegetables, 2-3 servings of meat and poultry, 2-3 servings of dairy, and fats, oils, and

sweets sparingly. While about one-third of Americans eat at least some food from all the


food groups, in reality, only about 1-3% eats the recommended number of servings from

all food groups on a daily basis. In children and adolescents, 40% had patterns of meeting

none or only one of the food group recommendations with only 2% meeting all the

recommendations. The food group that children and adolescents met the most was dairy

with only 12% (Watkins, 2005). As you can see, meeting all the daily-recommended

servings is a huge problem many Americans, especially children, are facing today.

As mentioned above, obesity is one of the consequences of not maintaining a

healthy diet. The Centers for Disease Control have reported that obesity is the second

leading contributor to premature death in the United States. A recent statistic has revealed

that over 60% of American adults are overweight, and obesity has risen even substantial

amounts in children. Since the 1970s, the proportion of overweight children has more

than doubled for children ages 6-11 and more than tripled for children ages 12-19. Today,

one in three children are now considered overweight or obese. Childhood obesity has

created a public health crisis, and there has been legislative action to try to fight

childhood obesity like the Childhood Obesity Reduction Act which is directed to

elementary schools to encourage a new plan to eat healthy and prevent obesity (Henry &

Martin, 2005). Logically, childhood obesity is directed correlated to adult obesity. Obese

children are more likely to become obese adults than normal weight children. Obesity in

very young children leads to higher rates of obesity in adulthood. A study shows that

52% of children who are obese between the ages of three and six are obese at age twenty-

five as opposed to only 12% of normal-weight three to six year old children (Anderson &

Butcher, 2006).


Obesity is the result of when energy intake exceeds energy expenditure. There are

many factors that can contribute to this, one important one being that today’s busy

families are struggling to prepare nutritious, home-cooked meals. Fast food has become

the norm in America today and has become one of the major factors that can lead to

obesity. Studies show that individuals consuming fast-food meals have higher energy

intake with lower nutritional values than those not consuming fast food. Families,

especially those with two-career household, are struggling to find the time in their crazy

day to be able to make a nice healthy meal for their children. Instead, families are turning

to places like Pizza Hut or McDonalds for a fast fix. The media has not helped either,

pushing fast food commercials and ads promoting all these very unhealthy meals. Quick

and easy has become the reality for many families, and all the healthier home-cooked

meals are fading away. Sweet beverages, like soft drinks and juice, have also been found

to be a link to childhood obesity and studies have found that drinking these beverages

result in higher overall energy intake. A long-term study of preschoolers has found a

positive link between sweet drinks and being overweight. Snacks have also been looked

at as a source of childhood obesity because they tend to be energy dense. Lack of

exercise and physical movement are also leading causes (Anderson & Butcher, 2006).

Familial factors do play a role in their children’s eating habits and children’s

dietary patterns evolve within the context of the family. There is a correlation with eating

habits between parents and their children, with a stronger correlation between mothers

and children than fathers and children. These familial factors include food exposure and

availability, parental modeling, meal structure and family meals, parenting style, and

food socialization practices. A positive correlation exists between the availability of fruits


and vegetables in the home and the consumption of them. Although research shows the

availability of healthy foods is necessary in the home, it does not always mean that the

child will eat healthy. While parents provide children with healthy homemade foods, the

children do not always like them. Research does show however that family meals have a

positive influence on diet quality of children with higher consumption of vegetables and

fruit and improved nutrient intakes (Taylor, Evers, & McKenna, 2005).

Parental attitudes and knowledge about nutrition have also been correlated with

nutrient intakes of children. Parents’ nutritional knowledge can affect the nutritional

quality of foods purchased as well as the size of portions served to children. In most

cases, the mothers typically have more knowledge about the nutritional quality of foods

than fathers. Positive nutritional attitudes in parents have been found to be associated

with more pleasant mealtime experiences and fewer eating problems. Interestingly

enough, parenting styles can also play a role in healthy eating habits for children. An

authoritarian parenting style, characterized by controlling child-feeding practices can

increase the child’s preferences for and intake of restricted foods once the restriction is

removed. Encouraging the consumption of a healthy food and telling a child the health

benefits can actually decrease the child’s preference for the food. A permissive parenting

style can lead to unnecessary snacking and consumption of inappropriate portions of

unhealthy foods. Research also shows that peers play an important role and have a lasting

influence on the food preferences on children and enthusiastic peer modeling has been

found to be a strong predictor of younger children’s willingness to try new foods (Taylor,

Evers, & McKenna, 2005).


As you can see, America’s youth are facing a serious problem with nutrition and

healthy habits are being thrown out the window. It is time for us to turn this epidemic

around and focus on eating healthy and getting all the proper nutrition that our bodies

need. It is so important for parents to educate themselves on getting their families to eat

healthy and instilling these healthy habits in their children. Parents must learn to adapt

the way their family eats, especially around mealtime. Parents who lead by example

create healthy kids who lead healthy lifestyles. This program is for parents and

discovering ways to help their families and children create healthy eating habits. This

teaching unit is specifically focused on healthy eating and bonding over family mealtime.


KIDS AND NUTRITON:A COURSE TO IMPROVE YOUR CHILD’S OVERALL HEALTH AND EATING HABITS

GOAL:Upon completion of this course, participants will have learned new ways to instill healthy

eating habits in their families, specifically their children, and make mealtime a more pleasant experience.

OBJECTIVE #1:Participants will learn how to foster healthy eating habits over family mealtime.

OBJECTIVE #2:Participants will learn how to use mealtime as a more positive, bonding experience for

their family.


AGENDA

CLASS #3:

7:00-7:10 Review of previous classes, overview of today’s class

7:10-7:20 Break into groups of 3-4 and review homework from last week with group members. The instructor will walk around to each group and answer any questions that may arise.

7:20-7:30 Instructor goes over PowerPoint and covers objective #1, fostering healthy eating habits over mealtime. She will discuss topics such

as ways to encourage children to eat a variety of foods, using family style dining and involving kids more in the meal, and

aiming to get all food groups in the meal.

7:30-7:40 Participants will share in their small groups what new information they have learned about objective #1 and how they can implement

these new ideas in with their family mealtime. Instructor will present part one of homework.

7:40-7:50 Instructor returns to PowerPoint and covers objective #2, creating a positive experience and engaging setting for family mealtime. She

will discuss topic such as engaging children in pleasant conversation during meals as well as covering the importance of turning off all electronics to better focus on each other.

7:50-8:00 Participants will share in their small groups what new information they have learned about objective #2 and how they can implement

these new ideas in with their family mealtime. Instructor will present part two of homework.

8:00-8:10 Brief answer-question session between the instructor and the participants covering any questions about today’s lesson.

8:10 – 8:20 Instructor will give a short review over today’s lesson, review homework assignment with participants, and give a sneak peek as

to what the participants will learn next week.

8:20-8:30 Participants will complete a brief survey and then they are free to leave.


TEACHING UNIT

The overall goal of this unit is to help parents find new ways to help their families

and children create healthy eating habits. The goal of this teaching unit is to specifically

focused on healthy eating and bonding over family mealtime. This class will focus on

two objectives: using mealtime to foster healthy eating habits and creating a more

positive, bonding experience for the family. When the class begins, the instructor will

first have a quick review over the past weeks’ lessons and how tonight’s lesson will build

upon it. After the review, the instructor will give a brief overview of tonight’s class and

what the participants can expect to learn. Participants will then break into groups of 3-4

and review and compare their homework from the previous week. The group members

will share amongst themselves, and the instructor will walk around to each group and

answer any questions that may arise.

After all group members have gotten a time to share, the instructor will proceed

with today’s lesson. Via PowerPoint, she will first go over objective #1, using mealtime

to foster healthy eating habits. The instructor will share ways to help children eat

healthier at mealtimes, including ways to encourage children to eat a variety of foods,

using family style dining and involving kids more in the meal, and aiming to get all food

groups in the meal. She first will explain to participants techniques to encourage children

to eat a variety of healthy foods like serving a variety of foods, including new foods or

showing enthusiasm for new foods. She will remind participants that is never a good idea

to pressure or bribe children to eat certain foods and to instead just try to remain positive,

even if your child shows little or no interest in the new food. Trying new foods is a

process, and do not give up! It may take several times of introducing a new food to your


child before they will begin to eat it. She will then explain how family style eating can

create healthier eating habits. In family style dining, the food is placed in serving bowls

on the table and food is passed around the table to each person. Family style dining can

also help to better control portion control. It is a good idea to encourage children to take

small servings and when the meal is about to end, remind children when the next meal or

snack is coming so they know if they have had enough to eat. It is important to get kids

involved in the meal to make them more invested. Great ways to do this are to allow

children to serve themselves or having kids help set the table. When kids are more

involved and invested in the meal, it is easier for them to be mindful of what they are

eating and to make healthier choices. The instructor will emphasize trying to get all the

food groups on the table and encouraging children to consume all the food groups in a

meal because this is a very healthy habit to form (“Making the Most,” 2011).

Participants will then have time to discuss in their small groups all the new things

they have learned and share which methods they think will be the most effective with

their families. The instructor will then give out part of their homework to the participants,

which is to write down three new things they have learned in class to try at home with

their families during mealtime. Participants will try these three new ideas at home within

the next week and take notes. The following class, they will share their findings with

their small group.

After the participants finish discussing in their small groups, the instructor will

then give another short PowerPoint presentation, this time covering objective #2 and the

importance of creating a positive, encouraging family mealtime, resulting in more family

bonding. The presentation will include topics such as engaging children in pleasant


conversation during meals as well as covering the importance of turning off all

electronics to better focus on each other. The instructor will share tips on how to keep

conversation light and simple and give examples of open-ended discussion starters they

can share with their families like, “what was your favorite part of your day?” or “what is

your favorite food that you have eaten tonight for dinner?” The instructor will stress that

conversations like these are great ways to keep your kids engaged, while learning more

and bonding with your children. The instructor will also share that turning off electronics

like cell phones, TV, iPads, etc. will help keep everyone focused on both the meal and

each other (“Making the Most,” 2011).

Participants will then return to their small group discussions and share what new

things they have learned and what ideas they can bring from the PowerPoints to try in

their homes. The instructor will then give out the second part of the homework

assignment for the week, for participants to write down three open-ended discussion

starters to try out with their families during meal time this week. Participants are to share

their findings next week in class after starting these discussion starters with their family.

The instructor will then have a brief question and answer session with the

participants regarding any questions they may have. The instructor will then have a quick

review over the lesson today, review the homework assignment for the participants, and

give a sneak peak at what the participants will be learning the following week. The

participants will then complete a short survey to assess how beneficial and useful the

class was. The survey will have ten questions rated one through five, one being not

helpful at all and five being extremely helpful. The questions will assess how helpful the

various topics covered in class were to the participants. There will also be two short


answer questions, one asking what the participants’ favorite part of the class was and the

other question asking what could be done to improve the class. At the bottom, the survey

will have room for suggestions and comments that the participants may have regarding

the class. After the participants hand in their surveys, they are free to leave for the day.


CONCLUSTION AND EVALUATION

“Kids and Nutrition: A Course to Create Healthy Eating Habits for Children” is a

class that would be taught every month throughout the year. The course is a three week-

program, and would be a perfect course to offer monthly so participants can choose

which month would best fit their schedule. This course would take place every Tuesday

night in a single month, from 7:00-8:30. The first class would begin on the first Tuesday

of the month and end on the third Tuesday of the month. The late class time will ensure

that participants will be able to get off work in time for the class and the hour and half

class time is short enough that it will not take up the participants entire night. Ideally,

there would be approximately 10-12 parents enrolled in each session, making the class

small enough that everyone is involved and engaged. The smaller class size will also

ensure that the instructor gets to know each parent and that she can assist them with

anything they may need. The goal would be for all the participants in the class to get to

know each other and the instructor well and to feel comfortable in the class to share and

discuss the topics.

This teaching unit will take place on the third week into the month. This way,

participants are able to learn first the basics of nutrition and cooking nutritious meals for

their family before they reach the topic of making family mealtime a healthy and pleasant

experience. Subsequent units in this program would cover learning the basics of proper

nutrition, shopping for and choosing the right foods, and cooking and preparing healthy

meals for your family. Making this course three weeks would ensure all the material is

spread out and the participants will be able to build upon the new skills and information

they learn every week.


Advertisement for this program would be done by flyers posted around town.

These flyers would be in grocery stores, local schools, community centers, playgrounds,

doctor’s offices, and hospitals. The cost of the course would be $15 per person and the

flyer would contain information regarding cost, location, topics covered in class, and how

to register. Ideally, participants would be able to register online.

This summer, I am a nanny to three young kids and there is a daily struggle to eat

healthy, nutritious meals. I did not know the basics about nutrition and children and ways

to help them eat healthier and I thought myself and many other parents could really

benefit from a course like this. Participants would first learn the basics of how nutrition

can affect their children and just how important it is that their children eat healthy meals

on a daily basis. They would then learn how to shop, cook, and prepare the right foods for

their family. Participants would learn how to help their children create these healthy

eating habits at mealtime and how to improve family mealtime as a whole. By the end of

this course, participants will feel much more confident in their abilities as parents to

provide nutritious meals their families and to instill healthy eating habits in their children.

I would evaluate the program’s effectiveness in a few ways. First, I would talk to

parents and find out what information they lack when it comes to nutrition and their kids,

and what information they would like to learn. I would also talk with doctors, dieticians,

and child nutrition specialists to find out what information parent’s tend to lack and what

information would be useful to parents. I would evaluate this program by relying on

feedback from the participants and carefully reading over the surveys. I would use this

feedback from the participants to make adjustments to my future program. I think this

program is perfect for parents that are interested in improving healthy eating habits in


their children and it would provide very valuable information. After completing this

program, parents will feel much more self-assured and have more faith in their abilities to

enhance their children’s overall health and eating habits.


REFERENCES

Anderson, P., & Butcher, K. (2006). Childhood Obesity: Trends and Potential

Causes. The Future of Children, 16.1

Hatter, K. (2014). The Benefits of Eating Healthy Foods as a Child.

LIVESTRONG.COM.

Henry, L., & Martin, P. (2005). Childhood Obesity: What Can Be Done to Help

Today’s Youth? Pediatric Nursing 31.1, 13-6

Making the Most of Meal Times. (2011). National Association of Child Care

Resource & Referral Agencies

Taylor, J., Evers, S., & McKenna, Mary. (2005). Determinants of Healthy Eating

in Children and Youth. Canadian Journal of Public Health, suppl. Understanding the

Forces that Influence Our Eating Habits. 96.

Watkins, C. (2005). Step up to the new U.S. Food Guide Pyramid for better

health. International News on Fats, Oils and Related Materials : INFORM, 16, 470.


Kids and Nutrition:A Course to Create Healthy Eating Habits for Children

TARGET AUDIENCE:Parents with kids of any age who want to improve their overall eating habits

GOAL:Upon completion of this course, participants will have learned new ways to instill healthy

eating habits in their families, specifically their children, and make mealtime a more pleasant experience.

OBJECTIVE #1:Participants will learn how to foster healthy eating habits over family mealtime.

OBJECTIVE #2:Participants will learn how to use mealtime as a more positive, bonding experience for

their family.

Useful Resources For Parents

Websites Used in Course Other Useful Resources

www.healthykidshealthyfuture.org www.choosemyplate.gov

www.livestrong.com www.kidshealth.org

www.letsmove.gov

www.nutrition.gov

www.eatright.org

www.superkidsnutrition.com

www.nutritionexplorations.org

http://www.nutritionexplorations.org/

http://www.superkidsnutrition.com/

http://www.eatright.org/

http://www.nutrition.gov/

http://www.letsmove.gov/

http://www.kidshealth.org/

http://www.livestrong.com/

http://www.choosemyplate.gov/

http://www.healthykidshealthyfuture.org/

web viewwhich is directed to elementary schools to encourage a new plan to eat healthy and ... of a...

Documents