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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
KIDS AND NUTRITION 3
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
KIDS AND NUTRITION 4
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).
KIDS AND NUTRITION 5
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
KIDS AND NUTRITION 6
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).
KIDS AND NUTRITION 7
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 NUTRITION 8
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.
KIDS AND NUTRITION 9
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.
KIDS AND NUTRITION 10
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
KIDS AND NUTRITION 11
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
KIDS AND NUTRITION 12
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
KIDS AND NUTRITION 13
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.
KIDS AND NUTRITION 14
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.
KIDS AND NUTRITION 15
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
KIDS AND NUTRITION 16
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.
KIDS AND NUTRITION 17
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 18
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