Current curriculum guidelines emphasise the importance of both nutrition education and the development of practical cooking skills in the school subject Food and Health (FH). This study aimed to explore teachers' and students' perspectives and experiences of current classroom practices in FH. Focus group discussions (FGDs) with teachers and students at three schools in Southern Norway were conducted and thematically analysed. Our findings suggest there is a mismatch between curriculum guidelines and teaching practices. Although teachers understood the benefits of nutrition education, practical cooking activities were prioritised. Three key themes were identified; students and teachers value cooking and limited time, which both explain this mismatch from the perspectives of students and teachers, and pedagogical solutions to resolve the mismatch, which summarises novel learning activities suggested by students and teachers as a solution for this mismatch. There needs to be a focus on comprehensive nutrition education in FH classes, to improve its pedagogical implications and meet the demands of the curriculum. These findings can be used to inform educators and policymakers on how to strengthen nutrition education in FH.

ObjectiveOptimal nutrition from early age reduces the risk of developing non-communicable diseases later in life. The aim of this study was to examine the long-term effect on toddlers’ fruit and vegetable intake and sweet beverages, and skepticism for new food, of a 2-days’ intervention on how to prepare homemade food for toddlers.ResultsThe effect of the cooking intervention was evaluated by a randomized, controlled trial where 110 parents of 4–6 months old infants were included. Child diet and food skepticism were measured at 6, 15 and 24 months of age. There were no differences between the control and intervention group in the consumption of fruits and vegetables and intake of water or sweet beverages at 15 and 24 months. There were no differences between the control and intervention group, respectively, in percentage reporting having children who were skeptical regarding new food at baseline (29% vs 20%, p = .372), nor at 3 and 9 months after the intervention (20 vs 18%, p = .804 and 43% vs 32%, p = .383). The intervention did not influence intake of fruits and vegetables, nor did it reduce food skepticism among toddlers. Trial registration first food for infants ISRCTN45864056, 20.05.2016. Retrospectively registeredElectronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1186/s13104-017-2931-z) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Food and Health, previously referred to as Home Economics, is a mandatory school subject in Norway. It has the unique advantage of giving all students, regardless of their social background, practical skills and knowledge, life skills that are important for their future health. In the LifeLab Food and Health project, we have developed a research-based and innovative teaching programme and evaluated how it is perceived in a school setting in Norway. This teaching programme is for use in Food and Health teacher education, but also in the education of primary and lower secondary school students in the same subject. LifeLab Food and Health consists of learning tasks in which students in the sixth and ninth grades in school gain first-hand knowledge and an understanding of life skills that are important to manage everyday life. In this paper, we present the learning activities developed and how the students experienced them. Examples of such learning tasks are tasks revealing the science behind dietary guidelines and the promotion of a healthy diet through student active tasks. Our aim is to establish LifeLab Food and Health as a “best practice” within master’s education in Home Economics at the University of Agder in Norway.

Objective: The Norwegian National Action Plan for a Healthier Diet calls for discussion of new ways to communicate health information. An already established and important arena in which to do so is school, in the Food and Health (FH) subject in particular. The aim of this study was to investigate how Norwegian students experience the FH subject, and how they believe it impacts on their everyday lives. Design: Qualitative study using focus group discussions Setting: Three public schools in Norway Methods: Focus group discussions were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim and thematically analysed. Results: The students reported the relevance of the school subject FH to their everyday life. However, how much FH was experienced as having impacted on their everyday lives with respect to cooking at home, food choice and food hygiene varied. Conclusions: More research is needed to explore how FH can have a stronger impact on students’ actual food choices and cooking practices. This is important in order to tackle contemporary dietary challenges among children and adolescents. Rather than discussing new channels of health education, we suggest that the FH subject area should be strengthened in schools by increasing teachers’ competence and focusing more strongly on how best to influence students’ food choices.

The Norwegian Food and Health (FH) school subject aims to develop students' ability to understand the association between diet and health. Research on FH in Norway indicates that the main focus today is on cooking and the development of practical cooking skills, leaving little emphasis on activities related to the more theoretical aspects of the curriculum. To increase students’ knowledge and skills regarding nutrition and health, we aimed to evaluate three newly developed student-activating learning tasks. Three 6th grade FH classes in Southern Norway participated. Audio and video recording of the learning tasks were used to evaluate the activities. Also, data from focus group discussions with FH teachers and students, which were conducted afterwards, was included in the analysis. By emphasising sociocultural learning and using the skills highlighted as essential in social learning and development as basis for the activities, we found the activities valuable in working with FH. The students’ learning process was stimulated while they engaged with the learning tasks by working in groups, by being active in interaction, dialogue, communication and collaboration, and by being given the opportunity to listen and argue. Language was used as a peda­gogical tool and was central in the students’ learning process. Both the students and their teachers valued the active and practical outline of the learning tasks. We propose a stronger emphasis on practical learning tasks in FH, to strengthen the students’ social learning and thus the learning in the subject, by using this as a pedagogical approach in FH classrooms. Keywords: Food and Health, Home Economics, social learning, sociocultural learning, learning tasks, video analysis   «Er det sukker i brød?»: En kvalitativ videoanalyse av elevaktive læringsaktiviteter i Mat og Helse Sammendrag Mat og Helse (MH) i skolen har som mål å utvikle elevenes evne til å forstå sammen­hengen mellom kosthold og helse. Forskning på MH i Norge indikerer at hovedfokuset i dag er på matlaging og utvikling av praktiske matlagingsferdigheter, med mindre fokus på aktiviteter som retter seg mot det mer teoretiske innholdet i læreplanen. For å øke elevenes kunnskaper og ferdigheter relatert til ernæring og helse, ønsket vi å evaluere tre nyutviklede elevaktive læringsaktiviteter utviklet spesielt til MH-faget. Tre 6. klasser i Sør-Norge var med på utprøvingen av aktivitetene, og lyd- og videoopptak ble brukt til å evaluere aktivitetene. I tillegg ble data fra fokusgruppeintervjuer med MH-lærere og elever, som ble gjennomført i etterkant, inkludert i analysen. Aktivitetene viste seg å være nyttige i arbeidet med MH, ved å legge vekt på sosiokulturell læring og bruke ferdighetene som er trukket fram som essensielle i sosial læring og utvikling, som grunnlag for aktivitetene. Ved å tilrettelegge for at elevene kan jobbe i grupper og ved å oppfordre til interaksjon og dialog, kommunikasjon og samarbeid, og til å lytte og argumentere, ble deres læringsprosess stimulert i arbeidet med oppgavene. I et sosio­kulturelt perspektiv er det nærliggende å anta at dette virker positivt på elevenes lærings­prosess, siden språket er et sentralt pedagogisk verktøy. Under fokusgruppeintervjuene kom det fram at både elevene og lærerne verdsatte at aktivitetene var elevaktive og praktiske. Basert på dette foreslår vi et større fokus på praktiske læringsaktiviteter i MH for å styrke elevenes sosiale læring, og dermed læring i faget, ved bruke dette som en pedagogisk tilnærming. Nøkkelord: Mat og Helse, sosial læring, sosiokulturell læring, læringsaktiviteter, videoanalyse