HOUSTON – In a super-size society, it’s no surprise that childhood obesity statistics have increased. But, a new teacher activity guide is available to help students learn proper eating and fitness habits.
About nine million children, or 15 percent, of U.S. children and young adults aged 6-19 were overweight in 1999-2000, according to the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey – a 36 percent increase in obesity from 1988-1994.
Food and Fitness: Activities Guide for Teachers, produced for the National Space Biomedical Research Institute (NSBRI), helps upper elementary and middle school students understand the basics behind energy, metabolism and nutrition. One area under study by researchers on the NSBRI’s Nutrition, Physical Fitness and Rehabilitation Team is quality and quantity of dietary intake.
"The goal is to teach the concepts, from physical science to life science, in a way that relates to science class as well as everyday life," said Dr. Nancy Moreno, activities guide co-author and member of the NSBRI’s education and outreach team.
In Food and Fitness, students learn about energy and how it’s measured.
"If kids don’t understand energy, calories and how calories are measured, then a lot of what follows has no meaning. It’s important to start with the basics," said Moreno, associate professor in Baylor College of Medicine’s Center for Educational Outreach.
The authors gained feedback from teachers and statistics from pre- and post-test results of among more than 780 third- through seventh-grade students. The results showed students had a greater knowledge of selected nutrition and fitness topics after taught the information from the guide.
During field tests, the authors learned most students could not estimate serving sizes.
"A super-sized order of fries is not one serving, nor is a 32-ounce super-sized soft drink. Kids, and for that matter many adults, don’t understand serving size," said co-author Barbara Tharp, assistant professor in Baylor’s Center for Educational Outreach. "The guide not only includes a lesson on understanding food labels, but also on learning how to estimate servings, including charts showing the calories in various sized fast-food products."
The guide uses a space theme throughout the activities to get kids interested in the concepts. One activity addresses basic nutritional requirements and the importance of tailoring meals to individual needs. Given profiles of people with various conditions and activity levels, students are asked to plan specialty menus for specific challenges, such as high-blood pressure, diabetes, athletic training and working in space.
The guide is the third in a series. Previous guides include Sleep and Daily Rhythms and Muscles and Bones. All three are available free of charge. All use real-world situations to teach science and math concepts as stand alone units or supplementary material. While created for use in science classes, the guides can be used in after-school settings, such as scout groups, church settings or summer camps.
The guides align with the National Science Education Standards and are available online in the Education and Outreach section of the NSBRI Web site at www.nsbri.org. To request a printed copy, call 800-798-8244.
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The NSBRI, funded by NASA, is a consortium of institutions studying the health risks related to long-duration space flight. The Institute’s research and education projects take place at more than 70 institutions across the United States.