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Food and nutrition resources employed in Victorian primary schools: are resources evidence-based, accessible, and relevant to the Australian context?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  22 March 2023

L. Graham
Affiliation:
School of Exercise and Nutrition Science (SENS), Deakin University, Victoria, Australia
A. Booth
Affiliation:
Institute for Physical Activity and Nutrition, Deakin University, Victoria, Australia
K. Bolton
Affiliation:
Institute for Physical Activity and Nutrition, Deakin University, Victoria, Australia
G. Aydin
Affiliation:
School of Exercise and Nutrition Science (SENS), Deakin University, Victoria, Australia Institute for Physical Activity and Nutrition, Deakin University, Victoria, Australia
P. Love
Affiliation:
Institute for Physical Activity and Nutrition, Deakin University, Victoria, Australia
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Abstract

Type
Abstract
Copyright
Copyright © The Authors 2023

The primary school environment is a key setting where children can learn about food and nutrition and improve dietary habits.(Reference Love, Booth and Margerison1) However, food and nutrition (F&N) education forms only a small proportion of content (< 3%) across the eight learning areas of the Victorian primary school curriculum.(Reference Love, Booth and Margerison1,Reference Aydin, Margerison and Worsley2,3) In Victoria, Australia, education resources are available to teachers via the Finding, Using and Sharing Educational resources (FUSE) website, promoted by Victoria Department of Education (DET).(3,4) Despite resources being available on the FUSE website, teachers frequently cite a lack of resources as a barrier to teaching F&N.(Reference Aydin, Margerison and Worsley2) This study aimed to collate FUSE resources containing F&N content (evidence-base, relevance, accessibility) to inform the provision of resources to better meet teacher needs. Resources were extracted and categorised using the CRAAP Model regarding currency, relevance, authority, accuracy, and purpose.(5) Data analysis involved descriptive statistics and thematic analysis. Sixty-eight education resources were identified across the eight learning areas of the curriculum (n = 5 Health and Physical Education (HPE); n = 10 Design and Technologies; n = 10 Science; n = 9 Maths; n = 1 Humanities [History]; n = 0 Arts; n = 27 HPE and Design and Technologies; n = 4 HPE, Maths, Science and English; n = 2 Design and Technologies, Geography Science). Preliminary data analysis showed the majority of resources (n = 59; 87%) to be evidence-based and aligned with the ADGs. All resources were considered relevant to the Australian context, based on similar dietary guidelines developed for high-income countries, namely Australia, USA and UK. Only half of resources (n = 34, 50%) were easily accessible with direct access to the linked resource, and of these, many were not in a teachable format. More than a third (n = 27, 40%) of resources were used multiple times across year levels and learning areas. Preliminary results indicate that evidence-based resources regarding food and nutrition are available to Victorian primary school teachers, relevant to the Australian context. These, however, form a small proportion of available FUSE education resources, are predominantly for three of the eight learning areas (HPE, Design and Technologies, Science), and require additional adaptation for classroom teaching. Opportunity exists to explore the development of F&N resources that can be delivered in an integrated manner across learning areas with scaffolded content appropriate to each year level. Further research is also needed to explore the uptake and usage of FUSE education resources by Victorian primary school teachers to inform the co-design of useful F&N education resources.

References

Love, P, Booth, A, Margerison, C, et al. (2020) Health Promot Int 35, 12911301.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Aydin, G, Margerison, C, Worsley, A, et al. (2021) BMC Public Health 21, 112.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority (2022) Food and nutrition: VCHPEP148. Available from: https://victoriancurriculum.vcaa.vic.edu.au/Curriculum/FocusArea/1d6ea04b-bc7a-407f-ad73-8c6c08f6770a?cd=VCHPEP148.Google Scholar
Department of Education and Training (2022) FUSE. Available from: https://fuse.education.vic.gov.au/.Google Scholar
Ohio University (2022) Food, nutrition, and dietetics: evaluating resources. Available from: https://libguides.library.ohio.edu/food-nutrition-dietetics/evaluate-info.Google Scholar