March 6, 2007 – If elementary school teachers in Quebec had the time, they would agree to introduce children to the basics of nutrition.
According to a survey carried out by nutrition researchers at the University of Montreal, 65% of respondents (including 98% of women) consider that school should be used to transmit knowledge in nutrition. Only 8.8% of teachers surveyed disagreed.
The researchers asked more than 200 teachers to assess the relevance of using an educational kit, developed in 2002 by the Federation of Milk Producers of Quebec, to integrate notions of nutrition into the subjects covered in class.
The kit material covered broad themes: fruits and vegetables, grain products, recommendations from Canada’s Food Guide, physical activity, food safety and hygiene.
A majority of teachers (58%) who used the kit in class liked it. However, most feel that they have not been able to use it optimally, mainly due to lack of time (90%) and the demands of school reform (35%).
Valuable allies
According to nutrition professor Marie Marquis, who led the study, “elementary school teachers could prove to be invaluable allies in supporting government programs aimed at developing healthy lifestyles and countering obesity in children. young people “.
She deplores the abolition, ten years ago, of home economics classes during which high school students learned the basics of cooking and eating. According to her, it is time to put nutrition back in the classroom: “It is as important a subject to teach children as the environment”.
Martin LaSalle – PasseportSanté.net
According to Forum.
1. Thibault I, Marquis M, School nutrition education, Canadian Journal of Dietetic Practice and Research, winter 2006, vol. 67, no 4.
