The Child Nutrition Program - Essay Example

The Child Nutrition Program Case Study The dietary habits of children are a cause of worry. We have enough to feed our children but the problem is that the way the food is being eaten has been overlooked. The basic simple ways of eating healthy are being forgotten in this era of hardcore marketing and showbiz. Even though healthier foods are priced much cheaper due to government incentives but still children seem more interested in eating foods which score low on nutrition. The kind of taste that has been developed overtime has a lot to do with this problem. There is a pressing need to break bad patterns of eating and promote healthier ones to ensure high levels of fitness and keeping life style diseases at bay. Recent studies have shown that 40% of calories taken by the children in school lunch come from fats, which is highly undesirable as fats should not contribute more than 30% of total calorie intake, and of that less than 10 percent should be from saturated fats. Such eating habits coupled with lack of physical activity have invariably led to increase in incidence of obesity among school children with 12 percent high school students and 14 percent elementary school students falling prey to obesity, considering students with weights greater than 85th percentile for their age. The decrease in physical activity has mainly been due to reduction in number of physical activity periods from once a day to twice a week due to increased burden of studies, which eats into the time that should ideally be left for allowing school children to play or exercise. So the solution lies in making students more aware of usefulness sports and exercises play in their lives, promoting healthy eating habits, increasing incentives to eat healthier foods, banning fried or fast foods from school canteens and organising programs aiming at correcting false eating habits. Pilot program As the director the Child Nutrition Program I have identified elementary school going children as the ones with the greatest risk factors. They have levels of obesity standing at 14 percent. Considering the importance of inculcating the right habits at a early stage with regards to eating and physical activity they should be the prime focus group. Also these children are very impressionable but not exposed to the latest findings and research on healthier and better ways of living, therefore, they can easily be mislead by the marketing world who target children of this age group as their prime consumer base. The approach for such a pilot program should be multifaceted. There is a need to create a general knowledge base addressing certain prime facts which are indispensable to create an environment promoting good health. Parents of children in elementary schools should be made aware of the health nutrition programs in school so that children can be constantly motivated to be a part of them and understand its usefulness. Parents have a huge role to play in deciding the dietary habits of the children so they should themselves be educated or made aware of the best possible ways to give the healthiest food to their children. This would be by informing them about better ways of cooking so that the nutrients aren’t lost in the food, avoiding or reducing the intake of foods high in cholesterol and saturated fats, increasing intake of vegetables, fruits, essential oils like olive oil which is rich in unsaturated fats etc. Another approach would aim at starting summer program for children so that they are given healthy food in schools even during summers when schools are off. This would help the children in eating right and getting the right habits when they see their peers eating the same food. It would ensure that they get the right nutrition and that they don’t start disliking the food which is very important to ensure their good health. Parents should be educated to encourage students to take part in sports activities which can be organised at school and district levels. Children at their age can be given basic knowledge regarding the ill effects of overplaying video games or over watching television and rather encourage them to balance academics and sports. Ten keys on healthy eating in schools shall be given special consideration: _ Students, parents, educators and community leaders will be involved in assessing the school’s eating environment, developing a shared vision and an action plan to achieve it. _ Adequate funds will be provided by local, state and federal sources to ensure that the total school environment supports the development of healthy eating patterns. _ Behavior-focused nutrition education will be integrated into the curriculum from pre-K through grade 12. Staffs that provide nutrition education will have appropriate training. _ School meals will meet the USDA nutrition standards as well as provide sufficient choices, including new foods and foods prepared in new ways, to meet the taste preferences of diverse student populations. _ All students will have designated lunch periods of sufficient length to enjoy eating healthy foods with friends. These lunch periods will be scheduled as near the middle of the school day as possible. _ Schools will provide enough serving areas to ensure student access to school meals with a minimum of wait time. _ Space that is adequate to accommodate all students and pleasant surroundings that reflect the value of social aspects of eating will be provided. _ Students, teachers and community volunteers who practice healthy eating will be encouraged to serve as role models in the school dining areas. _ If foods are sold in addition to National School Lunch Program meals, they will be from the five major food groups of the Food Guide Pyramid. This practice will foster healthy eating patterns. _ Decisions regarding the sale of foods in addition to the National School Lunch Program meals will be based on nutrition goals, not on profit making. (USDA 2008) TEAM nutrition USDAs Team Nutrition is an integrated, behavior based, comprehensive plan for promoting the nutritional health of the Nations children. This plan involves schools, parents, and the community in efforts to continuously improve school meals, and to promote the health and education of 50 million school children in more than 96,000 schools nationwide. The goal of Team Nutrition is to improve childrens lifelong eating and physical activity habits through nutrition education based on the principles of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans and MyPyramid. (TEAM 2008) Strengths Schools are the key focal point for Team Nutrition. They are invited to enrol as "Team Nutrition Schools," affirming their commitment to take the lead in making nutritional changes, conducting nutrition education activities and events, and using innovative materials from the USDA Food and Nutrition Service (FNS). Emphasis is placed on working through state agencies to recruit Team Nutrition Schools as well as develop training support systems necessary for local implementation. It is a good idea to enrol onto Team Nutrition as it’s a coherent and well organised body which has strict guidelines made over years of research by eminent scientists on what is best concerning the dietary intake and promoting better health. They have a vast network of people who play a major role in publicising various important facts about health in innovative ways. Its feature of MyPyramid for kids is widely known and there is sufficient availability of educational material which brings the messages of MyPyramid to elementary school children. Teachers can easily teach MyPyramid for Kids by using the classroom materials, including lesson plans, an interactive game, and a MyPyramid for Kids Poster. The fun, colorful MyPyramid for Kids graphic will attract childrens attention and encourage them to learn more about MyPyramid for Kids. The nutrition and physical activity messages included throughout the materials are designed to help children 6 to 11 years old make healthy eating and physical activity choices. (TEAM 2008) The organisation has been a success in many states in USA and has been useful in many schools. For instance, Sedalia Park Elementary School in Cobb County, Louisiana with the help of JoAnn Kilby, food service manager at Sedalia Park Elementary School conducted school-wide promotions for each grade level, which included messages about healthy eating, exercise, snacking, and school meals. The pyramid design is an image of a hiker climbing the triangles peak via stairs, underscoring the importance of daily exercise. Color-coded wedges in the pyramid represent different food groups, with broad bands of red and green symbolizing generous amounts of fruits and vegetables to be consumed, while a narrow purple band implies proportionately less of meat, beans and nuts. Weaknesses Some people feel that such method of spreading knowledge has its limitations, in the sense that the poor who grapple with the problem of obesity do not have access to internet to gain the right knowledge. A few terms used to explain the pyramid by the organisation are considered beyond the understanding of the general public. Placing diary products at the cornerstone of the pyramid has some people worried especially concerning controversy regarding their absolute health benefits and for people having lactose intolerance. Possible projects/activities All the projects have to be designed in such a way that they children find them attractive and hence their popularity can be easily enhanced allowing a great deal of participation. Stage shows and skits will be performed by kids dressed in fruits and vegetables in which they talk about their nutritious value and with a story line which will lend a greater interest among the audience comprising of children, teachers and parents. For this to take place students from each class will be encouraged to come forward and participate and in the process the big event will be organised. The whole event will be carried out in such a way that there is a afterthought attached with respective fruit and vegetable which makes the child laugh and hence promote its consumption in the long run. Importance of having daily breakfast will be stressed upon. A fair will be organised inviting all the 4 elementary school students in the district central ground including many events such as fun games with aiming at fruits and vegetables, distributing pamphlets with easy to understand information regarding usefulness of healthier foods with the help of cartoons, making available many varieties of healthy fruits and vegetables at minimal prices. Also many athletic events will be organised which may have pre planned contestants based on trails in the school or which may be organised on the spot with participants chosen on first come first serve basis. Persons wearing masks of cartoons characters will be made to move around acting as athletes and acting out the various ill effects of slothfulness and lack of mobility. Competitions involving sketching, puzzles, face painting, pot painting with fruits and vegetables will be organised. Apart from the fun activities involving kids, there will be lectures in the auditorium making parents aware of the latest TEAM guidelines. They will be encouraged to ask questions and voice their opinions so that corrective guidance can be given. They will be offered to enrol for regular correspondence courses to keep them updated on the latest with the dietary patterns so that they can give their family the best possible nutrition. T shirts showing person climbing stairs or exercising will be distributed among students to convey the necessary message. Mid day meal programmes will be organised aiming at providing atleast one third of the recommended dietary allowance for a day for all major nutrients. The plan In order to organise the event all the teachers and staff members will be informed regarding the planned date and the activities suggested for the event. The location decided will be informed so that the school authorities can go there and see the ground situation. Eminent professors of dietary studies will be contacted so that they can give lectures on the fixed day. Task forces of teachers will be made which will be allotted on a daily basis to friendly supervise the dietary habits of the families of school children by visting their homes at a mutually planned time. The following letter will be sent out to general community in the region and handed over to children to give them to their parents. LETTER Regular exercise and right eating goes a long way in keeping our children healthy. This is exactly we plan to implement to make sure that our future generation is a healthier one. We have planned a health fair in central lawn which will focus on key areas of maintaining proper health in a light manner which is interactive and enjoyable and is suitable for all ages with special focus on children. We are working under nationwide TEAM nutrition program which has been a huge success in many parts of the country. We aim at bringing down the levels of obesity among elementary school children and make them physically fitter. The task force to implement this goal comprises of the teachers and local dietary consultants but really, the project will be success if there is a taskforce in each and every household. So this letter goes out to you as an invitation for the fare as well as an invitation to join the task force with just one aim in mind- promoting better health. All this can be achieved only with true dedication and sincerity and a never ending thirst for knowledge in this regard. Together we can make it happen! Timeline- TEAM nutrition A timeline is a must for carrying out a huge project the results of which may sometimes be subjective or not easy to monitor. Gauging the changes in dietary habits and levels of fitness can be a hard task but having a well chalked out timeline ensures that steps are constantly being taken in the right direction and results are sure to be positive. Timeline: Informing school authorities about the funds allocated for mid day meals in schools in conformation with the The Nutrient Standard Menu Planning Approach and the assisted Nutrient Standard Menu Planning Approach. Increase in periods of sports to once everyday. Introducing study hours devoted to right eating. Start preparations for the health fare by final decisions on all the events. Distribute pamphlets of invitation among the students and the community. Ensure proper management of the event. Visit the homes of the parents discussing the various health issues. Get feedback regarding dietary improvements and increasing physical activity through methods such as email, mails and personal visits. Carry out surveys and studies to gauge improvements in lifestyle through questionnaires. Monitoring outcomes This will be done by evaluating the following criteria: Number of children with weight more than 85th percentile for that age. Evaluating the consumption of snacks and other junk foods among kids. Evaluating the consumption of fruits and vegetables. Judging the response to various questionnaires dealing with general knowledge regarding dietary knowledge and habits. Outcomes Students participated in Healthy foods quiz at the interschool level based on the education given to them. Training given to dietary consultants helped them in providing better recipes to parents in order to promote good eating habits. Children were taught about mypyramid and it was inculcated in their everyday lives. Mid day meal program ensuring one meal properly taken with full nutrition, Establishing collaborations with higher centres of learning concerning food nutrition so that they provide latest information to these schools. Educating parents and increasing their knowledge base, Organising monthly sports competitions ensuring healthy participation Changing dietary habits of children and developing taste for vegetables and fruits. Reducing the habit of binging on junk foods Increasing the amount of trained personnel to monitor the dietary habits in the community Fact sheet –after 6 months The levels of obesity came down from 14 percent to 10 percent The consumption of fruits and juices increased 1.9 times Vegetables were consumed 1.4 times more. Higher enrolment of children to the local sports club Conclusion Promoting good health requires constant effort and perseverance. Even the simplest of concepts become the norm only after constant dedication in informing the people in that regard. With today’s media strongly promoting unhealthy dietary habits its of paramount importance to teach young minds the right ways of living as that will have a lasting impact and obviate the need of such programs for elder age groups. References: United States Department of Agriculture. Prescription for Change: Ten Keys to Promote Healthy Eating in Schools. University Press, 2008. Team Health. 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