Department of Health Studies, College of Arts & Sciences, American University, Washington, DC 20016, USA.
School of Education, American University, Washington, DC 20016, USA.
Nutrients. 2023 Sep 14;15(18):3981. doi: 10.3390/nu15183981.
Childhood obesity is one of the most prevalent public health challenges in the United States, and although rates are declining overall, rates among children living in underserved neighborhoods are increasing. This five-year intervention project seeks to empower teachers ( = 92) to invest in their own health and then integrate nutrition concepts into core subjects' lessons in elementary schools. The professional development sessions reflect the concepts in the Whole Child, Whole School, Whole Community model. Results indicate that teachers who attended professional development sessions were more likely to implement nutrition lessons in the classroom (r = 0.54, < 0.01), and students demonstrated a significant increase in nutrition knowledge ( < 0.001, df = 2, F = 9.66). Investing in school-based programs that ensure teacher well-being and professional development can yield positive benefits for both teachers and students.
儿童肥胖是美国当前最为普遍的公共健康挑战之一。尽管整体肥胖率呈下降趋势，但在服务欠缺社区生活的儿童中，肥胖率却在上升。本为期五年的干预项目旨在使教师（=92 人）能够重视自身健康，并将营养理念融入小学核心课程中。专业发展课程反映了“全体儿童、全体学校、全体社区”模式的理念。结果表明，参加专业发展课程的教师更有可能在课堂上实施营养课程（r = 0.54， < 0.01），学生的营养知识也显著增加（ < 0.001，df = 2，F = 9.66）。投资于以学校为基础的项目，确保教师的健康和专业发展，可以使教师和学生双方都受益。
