Nutrition

Kids don’t learn enough about nutrition at school

The Quebec Ministry of Education has not developed a policy that governs nutrition in the schools or any educational materials designed to teach students about nutrition, and that’s a real shame, says Marie Marquis, a professor in the Department of Nutrition at the Université de Montréal. As for the school boards, it’s all a muddle – some have clear policies on food while others have none at all, or outdated policies. Everything is left up to the school principals.

Nutrition should be a subject that cuts across the curriculum taught at school, Marquis says. The Ministry has announced guidelines to be released this winter. “We need to have a consistent, homogeneous policy for the whole province,” the nutritionist says. “Not only should we help children form healthy habits in the classroom, we should also establish good habits in school cafeterias or catering services that provide school lunches.”   Marquis salutes the ministry’s willingness to finally promote a province-wide school nutrition program in the upcoming months, and she’s not alone. About two-thirds of the 214 Grade 1 and 2 teachers who responded to a questionnaire she sent to 500 elementary schools agreed that students should get more information on nutrition and healthy eating at school. And Marquis believes that it should be an integral part of the school curriculum.

“When it comes to material provided by the government, all the information teachers really have to give their students is Canada’s Food Guide to Healthy Eating, which is currently being revised,” says Marquis. She and her master’s student,  Isabelle Thibault, assessed teachers’ interest in an educational kit developed in 2002 by the Fédération des producteurs de lait du Québec (Quebec milk producers’ federation). The objective of the kit, which was distributed in elementary school across the province, was to make kids aware of what constitutes a healthy diet. Teachers were also asked their opinion of the material. “It was positively received,” says Marquis “When we provide an effective tool, teachers support the school’s role in fostering kids’ ability to choose healthful foods.” The study, published in the winter issue of the Canadian Journal of Dietetic Practice and Research , showed which themes associated with food groups in Canada’s Food Guide were considered most important. “Teachers stress what they know best, just as parents do with their children,” says the nutritionist approvingly. “That’s a good start. Children in Quebec don’t eat enough dairy products, fruit, vegetables or fibre.” 

Teachers also put wasted food, cleanliness and hygiene, recycling and family meals on their priority list. The kit seems to be a good way to broach the subject of family and social values that surround food, Marquis feels. She adds that the concepts of eating as a family, taking the time for real meals and showing respect for food are on the downswing, yet they are fundamental to healthy eating.  And time devoted to family meals is an indicator of good eating habits in the home. Marquis hopes that nutrition information, like information on the environment, will become a given in the classroom. She dreams of the day when some children will nag their parents to improve the household diet, just as they now nag them about recycling.

While teachers do seem to agree that it’s important to teach their students how to improve their diets, 90% of the respondents who are using the available educational materials still complain that they don’t have more time to teach nutrition in the classroom. Those with more seniority see fewer obstacles to using the materials, probably based on experience. But most teachers don’t balk at the task – only 11% of teachers feel that the planning needed to make better use of educational materials in school is an obstacle.