Early childhood education and health working in partnership: the critical role early childhood educators can play in childhood obesity prevention

ABSTRACT

Preschool children’s interest in popular culture is linked to many determinants of obesity development including branded energy-dense foods and sedentary play using digital technologies. In addition, highly packaged foods and throwaway toys reinforce unsustainable environmental habits encouraged by immersive marketing systems. Interrupting the effects of these systems demands multiple and diverse solutions. Our solution engages early childhood educators in obesity prevention by doing what they do best – pedagogy, curricula and care. Assisting young children to interact with their interests and developing habits like Healthy eating, Active play and environmentally Sustainable practices (HAS) is unique methodology. We believe that building the capacity of educators to co-create HAS curricula using children’s interests has the potential to develop life-long well-being and sustainability habits. HAS curricula aid in young children’s development of agentic decision-making abilities through the transformation of everyday concepts into higher-order mature concepts.

KEYWORDS:

• Early childhood
• obesity prevention
• curricula
• pedagogy
• popular culture

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors

Notes on contribuotrs

Helen Skouteris is Professor in Developmental Psychology, in the School of Psychology, Deakin University. She is an expert in maternal and child health and well-being, with a particular focus on preventing excessive weight gain during pregnancy for mothers and during the formative preschool years for young children. Skouteris is also the leader of the Translational Sciences Platform of the Centre for Social and Early Emotional Development, Deakin University.

Susan Edwards is a Professor in early childhood education at the Australian Catholic University in the Learning Sciences Institute Australia. Her research interests include play-based learning in the early years and the role of digital technologies in children s learning.

Heather Morris is a PhD Candidate within Deakin University s School of Psychology. Her PhD is investigating parental involvement in early childhood education with a focus on health and sustainability. Her research interests include pre- and antenatal maternal health including breastfeeding, child health and obesity prevention.

Rachael Cox is a Deakin University Faculty of Health Postdoctoral Research Fellow working in the area of child and adolescent obesity prevention. She is implementing a healthy eating and active living program designed for disadvantaged young people living in out of home care.

Louise Baur is the Professor and Head of Child and Adolescent Healthat the University of Sydney.She is a paediatrician and a researcher with specific expertise in the prevention and management of child and adolescent obesity. Baur is a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences.

Luke Wolfenden is a Associate Professor in Public Health at the University of Newcastle. He has conducted research to improve child health in settings including childcare for over a decade. His research interests include child health, intervention trials and research translation.

Terry Huang is Professor at the School of Public Health, City University of New York. He is an expert on childhood obesity and systems approaches to health promotion and disease prevention. Huang is Fellow and Councillor of The Obesity Society and Vice President of North America in the World Obesity Federation.

ORCID

Helen Skouteris http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9959-5750

Susan Edwards http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5945-0597

Heather Morris http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7758-1091