Addressing obesity by promoting healthy eating habits through PSD

Abstract

Obesity is becoming one of the major problems throughout the world. Malta is no exception to this 'global epidemic'. One of the main causes of adolescent obesity is an excess of energy intake over energy expenditure. Schools have an important role to play in this regard as students spend long hours in this setting. The National Minimum Curriculum emphasizes the significance of health education in schools. Through PSD, adolescents can become more knowledgeable about the benefits of a healthy diet and the risks associated with unhealthy food. With this in mind a set of PSD lesson plans were devised and conducted in six different schools to promote healthy eating habits amongst Form 1 students. For this research two similar questionnaires were used. The first questionnaire was given to the students before the lesson plans were conducted. The aim of the first questionnaire was to identify the knowledge, skills and attitudes that Form 1 students have about healthy eating. The second questionnaire was administered after the lesson plans were conducted, to elicit information about the content of the lesson plans and to analyse any possible changes in students' knowledge, skills and attitudes related to nutrition. This research has indicated that the issue of obesity can be addressed during Personal and Social Development lessons. However, for attitudes to change there needs to be reinforcement throughout the schooling years on a frequent basis and through various subjects and/or school activities.