The nexus of knowledge and behavior for school-aged children: implementation of Health Education Programs and a Nutritional Symbol System

Abstract

Health-related knowledge has been assumed to inform lifestyle choices for school-aged students. A ‘health-promoting school’ provides the conceptual framework for this intervention. A large boarding school developed, implemented and refined a Nutritional Symbol System for their dining hall. The effectiveness of this social marketing strategy and school-based Health Education Program was evaluated by interviewing students (n = 16) for nutritional knowledge and application of the Nutritional Symbol System (NSS) to food choices in a range of contexts within (for example, in the dining hall and canteen) and beyond the school. In-depth interview data were collected, recorded and analyzed manually and via the Leximancer text mining software. Results indicated that there was a lack of consistent and accurate student knowledge derived from the Health Education Programs. Recommendations include a greater alignment between the Nutritional Symbol System, the plate and all Health Education Program materials to enhance students' health literacy around informed nutrition-related decisions.

Keywords:

• nutritional
• social marketing
• education effectiveness
• children

Notes on contributors

Judith Miller is Associate Professor, Deputy Head of School Research in the School of Education at the University of New England. Her teaching and scholarship in pre-service teacher education is focussed on Health and Physical Education pedagogy with specialism in rural contexts. The benefit of her research is focussed on enhancing the health and well-being of young school-aged children living in rural and regional settings and this is accomplished through research partnerships with educators in schools.

Lorraine Graham is Associate Professor in special education and educational psychology within the SiMERR National Center and School of Education, University of New England. Her research is focussed on instructional interventions, basic academic skills and learning difficulties. In her scholarship and teaching, she aims to understand and promote ‘sustainable learning’ defined as learning for all; learning that matters; and learning that lasts.

James Pennington is a PDH/PE Teacher, specializing in primary K–6 education at The Armidale School. His teaching focus is on the transfer of fundamental motor skills into sports specific skills and lifelong physical activity. His research investigates the effects on improvement in these sports specific skills and the relationship with gains in literacy and numeracy. His commitment to teaching health through lifelong physical activity is supported by his innovative health promoting school initiative outlined in this paper.

Acknowledgement

The authors wish to acknowledge the generous feedback from the anonymous reviewers, leading to an improved the manuscript and the inclusion of ‘social marketing’ as a named concept.

Notes

1. Milo is a malt-based chocolate tasting additive usually mixed with hot or cold milk.