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Abstract
Objective: This study assessed the attitudes and the level of nutritional knowledge of a group of 11–12 year olds in Merseyside.
Methods: A questionnaire specifically designed for this study examined the subjects' attitudes and knowledge to nutrition and healthy eating.
Sample: 85 subjects (37 males, 48 females) completed the questionnaire, average age 12 years and 2 months.
Results: It was found that the females were more health conscious than the males. More females than males thought that their friends worried about being too fat. 56% of males thought that healthy eating involved dieting. Over 80% of the subjects agreed that they understood and knew what to eat to have a healthy diet but yet they had poor knowledge on fat, carbohydrate, dietary fibre and the energy content of alcohol. The females had higher levels of nutritional knowledge compared to the males. Generally the subjects had better nutritional knowledge related to foods rather than nutrients.
Conclusion: This study supports the idea that nutrition education should have a secure place in the national curriculum to aid development of healthy attitudes and a good knowledge basis in nutrition and healthy eating in pre-adolescents.