Changes in Primary School Children's Behaviour, Knowledge, Attitudes, and Environments Related to Nutrition and Physical Activity

Abstract

Rigorous evaluation of large-scale community-based obesity interventions can provide important guidance to policy and decision makers. The eat well be active (ewba) Community Programs, a five-year multilevel, multistrategy community-based obesity intervention targeting children in a range of settings, was delivered in two communities. A comprehensive mixed-methods evaluation using a quasiexperimental design with nonmatched comparison communities was undertaken. This paper describes the changes in primary school children's attitudes, behaviours, knowledge, and environments associated with healthy eating and physical activity, based on data from six questionnaires completed pre- and postintervention by students, parents, and school representatives. As self-reported by students in years from five to seven there were few significant improvements over time in healthy eating and physical activity behaviours, attitudes, knowledge, and perceived environments, and there were few changes in the home environment (parent report). Overall there were considerably more improvements in intervention compared with comparison schools affecting all environmental areas, namely, policy, physical, financial, and sociocultural, in addition to improvements in teacher skill and knowledge. These improvements in children's learning environments are important and likely to be sustainable as they reflect a change of school culture. More sensitive evaluation tools may detect behaviour changes.

Health behaviors of Korean female nursing students in relation to obesity and osteoporosis

“…This was contrary to researchers'' expectations and reports from previous studies which showed a positive relationship between health knowledge level and healthy behaviors (Ahmadi et al, 2013;Magarey et al, 2013).…”

“…Some reported a positive relationship between health knowledge level and healthy behaviors (Ahmadi, Torkamani, Sohrabi, & Ghahremani, 2013;Magarey, Pettman, Wilson, & Mastersson, 2013). Others, however, reported that environment outweighs knowledge and, therefore, health behavior and knowledge may not coincide (Yilmaz et al, 2014).…”

Primary School Children's Health Behaviors, Attitudes, and Body Mass Index After a 10-Week Lifestyle Intervention With Follow-Up

“…This is consistent with the Theory of Reasoned Action/Theory of Planned Behavior (TRA/TPB) which seeks to explain volitional behaviors partly through attitudes ( 16 ). School-based interventions have achieved improved health attitudes and behaviors ( 14 , 17 ). It is important to test this theory alongside other health behavior models in determining the immediate and sustained impact of school-based lifestyle interventions ( 18 ).…”

“They Find Ways to Make the Vegetables Taste Nicer” – Increased Fruit and Vegetable Consumption with the Garden to Table Programme in Four New Zealand Schools

“…Nutrition education for children increases knowledge around fruit and vegetable intake but as children do not generally purchase or prepare food in the home, this knowledge may not translate into changed behaviour. Education intervention studies report both behaviour change and no behaviour change in regards to vegetable consumption [4,5]. Gardening interventions may increase positive nutrition behaviours by creating a personal connection between children and the food they have grown, thus increasing willingness to try vegetables.…”