Kempler Jessica V, Margerison Claire, Nanayakkara Janandani, Booth Alison
Deakin University Institute for Physical Activity and Nutrition, 75 Pigdons Road Waurn Ponds, Victoria, 3216, Australia.
Arch Public Health. 2024 Nov 22;82(1):222. doi: 10.1186/s13690-024-01449-4.
Healthy eating patterns from sustainable food systems are crucial for population and planetary health. Primary schools are opportune settings for teaching children about food, nutrition and sustainability (FNS) though little is known about the delivery of FNS education in this sector. This study aimed to analyse current approaches to FNS education in Australian primary schools.
A cross-sectional online survey with closed- and open-ended questions collected data about (i) teacher perceptions and attributes regarding FNS education; (ii) FNS teaching practices; and (iii) factors influencing FNS education. Statistical analyses were conducted using STATA including descriptive statistics and chi-square analyses to test for associations between categorical variables. Qualitative content and thematic analyses of open-ended questions were conducted using NVivo 14.
Participants were 413 Australian primary school teachers. Teachers considered FNS education as equally important to most curriculum subjects, though frequency of FNS education was low. Less than a third of teachers were trained in FNS education, had access to funding for FNS-related activities or were from schools with policies about including FNS education in the curriculum. There was a significant association between frequency of FNS education and teacher training, access to funding and presence of FNS curriculum policies (all p < 0.001). Teachers who were trained to teach nutrition, food skills or food sustainability (all p < 0.05) were more likely to teach this as both stand-alone and cross-curricular subjects. Teachers described personal factors (workload, stress, scope of practice) that influenced their FNS teaching practices, as well as factors related to students' families (family responsibility for FNS education, family food practices, family engagement in FNS activities), the curriculum (overcrowding, prioritisation, access to resources) and the broader school environment (time, facilities, funding, training).
Strengthening the position of FNS education in the primary school sector is an important next step for public health research, policy and practice. Researchers and policy makers should explore future opportunities for training, funding and policy approaches that prioritise FNS within the primary school curriculum and in everyday teaching practice.
可持续粮食系统中的健康饮食模式对人口健康和地球健康至关重要。小学是向儿童传授食物、营养和可持续性（FNS）知识的适宜场所，不过对于该领域FNS教育的开展情况人们了解甚少。本研究旨在分析澳大利亚小学当前的FNS教育方法。
一项包含封闭式和开放式问题的横断面在线调查收集了有关以下方面的数据：（i）教师对FNS教育的看法和属性；（ii）FNS教学实践；以及（iii）影响FNS教育的因素。使用STATA进行统计分析，包括描述性统计和卡方分析，以检验分类变量之间的关联。使用NVivo 14对开放式问题进行定性内容和主题分析。
参与者为413名澳大利亚小学教师。教师认为FNS教育与大多数课程科目同等重要，不过FNS教育的频率较低。不到三分之一的教师接受过FNS教育培训，有开展FNS相关活动的资金，或者来自有将FNS教育纳入课程政策的学校。FNS教育频率与教师培训、获得资金以及FNS课程政策的存在之间存在显著关联（所有p < 0.001）。接受过营养、食品技能或食品可持续性教学培训的教师（所有p < 0.05）更有可能将其作为独立科目和跨学科科目进行教学。教师描述了影响其FNS教学实践的个人因素（工作量、压力、实践范围），以及与学生家庭相关的因素（家庭对FNS教育的责任、家庭饮食实践、家庭参与FNS活动）、课程（课程拥挤、优先级排序、资源获取）和更广泛的学校环境（时间、设施、资金、培训）。
加强FNS教育在小学教育领域的地位是公共卫生研究、政策和实践的重要下一步。研究人员和政策制定者应探索未来在培训、资金和政策方法方面的机会，这些机会应优先考虑小学课程和日常教学实践中的FNS。
