Nutrition Education in Public Schools: Rationale, Policies, and Impacts

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Nutrition Education in Public Schools.
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Nutrition Education in Public Schools.
Introduction.
Nutrition education is one of the major public health strategies that are implemented in
prevention of diseases. The whole idea of healthy living is pinned on the nutrition we provide to
our bodies. Disorders associated with nutrition are known as malnutrition disorders. They may
be over nutrition or undernutrition disorders. The over nutritional disorders such as obesity are
more common in Western Countries, Canada being one of them. Nutritional education is thus an
essential subject that should be taught in schools to cater for the nutritional challenges.
According to Godin (96) most of the lifestyle diseases are influences partly by the eating habits
and the types of foods even in school children.
In epidemiology of some disease conditions, it can be noted that some geographical
regions have a higher prevalence to some diseases than others. The standards and quality of
nutrition usually has a major bearing and may be considered a risk factors. High cholesterol diet
foods in some urban settings have implicated with causing cardiovascular diseases such as
atherosclerosis. Cancers have been associated with associated with canned foods. The
importance of nutritional education cannot be overlocked. Cultivating a healthy habit in nutrition
practices can be done through schools (Vine, et al, 331-339). It’s an important public health
intervention. This paper has will cover nutrition education program in public schools in Canada,
the rationale, the policies put in place and their impacts.
Rationale.
Diet related disease have been a major concern within the Canadian population;
including the children. (Lucan, 205-212.) A large population of Canadians has been found to

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consume very high amounts of calories, too much saturated fat and added sugars. The diets are
deficient or with very little amounts of legumes and fruits. This particular lifestyle predisposes
he general population to many preventable diseases or whose course of progression could be
altered if the proper nutrition is provided. In the case of a disease like diabetes, complications
associated with it can be reduced with diets that do not significantly cause a peak in the blood
sugar (Sun, et al. 404-421).
In the case of school children, there has been a sharp increase in the cases of obesity.
This is a nutritional disorder that is largely influenced by the diet habits. Large calories diets
have been attributed to this condition (Lebel, 16). The body converts excess calories into fat
which is deposited beneath the skin. There has been established a causal relationship between
many disease conditions and obesity. Obesity has been identified as a major risk factor in heart
and cardiovascular diseases (Hanninen and Rashid, 465-465). There has been association with
reduced immunity and a reduced life expectancy.
In order to have an edge on the situation, nutritional education in public school was rolled
out by the government. It is very rational to enroll children in such a program in order because it
is economical as it will significantly reduce the expenditure in treating such conditions (Abdullah,
167). By extension, it is a way of dealing with a future impending catastrophe. Some of the
diseases have a long progression and present later in life. It is economical both in the short term
and the long term.
Implementing the program would be the best way to reverse a trend that has taken root.
Children are more receptive to knowledge especially at a tender age. Integration of nutrition
education is a way of providing knowledge that is practical in real life (Yip, et al. 82-97). This