Nutrition Knowledge and Perspectives of Physical Activity for Pre-Schoolers amongst Early Childhood Education and Care Teachers
School of Sport, Exercise and Nutrition, Massey University, Auckland 0632, New Zealand
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Nutrients 2020, 12(7), 1984; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu12071984
Received: 3 June 2020
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Revised: 29 June 2020
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Accepted: 30 June 2020
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Published: 3 July 2020
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Selected Papers from 2019 Annual Scientific Meeting of the Nutrition Society of New Zealand: Beyond Nutrition—kei tua i te kaitōtika)
Caregivers’ nutrition and physical activity knowledge is recognised as being important for children’s health and body size. Identifying knowledge gaps amongst caregivers may inform professional development and obesity-prevention strategies in childcare settings. This cross-sectional validated online questionnaire aimed to measure current early childhood education and care (ECEC) teachers’ nutrition knowledge for pre-schoolers (2–5-year-olds) and related perspectives. Teachers’ (n = 386) knowledge of nutrition was lacking: The overall score was 22.56 ± 2.83 (mean ± SD), or 61% correct. Increased years of experience significantly predicted an increase in knowing that national nutrition and physical activity guidelines exist (B = 0.02 [95% CI, 0.00–0.03], r2 = 0.13, p = 0.033). Teachers’ increased agreement in feeling they were confident talking about nutrition to parents significantly predicted an increase in overall nutrition knowledge scores (B = 0.34 [95% CI, 0.06–0.63], r2 = 0.15, p = 0.019). The belief that ECEC teachers play a vital role in promoting pre-schoolers’ healthy eating and physical activity was widespread. Common knowledge barriers included a lack of staff training, confidence, and resources. ECEC teachers may lack nutrition knowledge for pre-schoolers, particularly in regard to basic nutrition recommendations (servings, food/beverage choices, and portion sizes).
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MDPI and ACS Style
Rapson, J.; Conlon, C.; Ali, A. Nutrition Knowledge and Perspectives of Physical Activity for Pre-Schoolers amongst Early Childhood Education and Care Teachers. Nutrients 2020, 12, 1984. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu12071984
AMA Style
Rapson J, Conlon C, Ali A. Nutrition Knowledge and Perspectives of Physical Activity for Pre-Schoolers amongst Early Childhood Education and Care Teachers. Nutrients. 2020; 12(7):1984. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu12071984
Chicago/Turabian StyleRapson, Jeanette, Cathryn Conlon, and Ajmol Ali. 2020. "Nutrition Knowledge and Perspectives of Physical Activity for Pre-Schoolers amongst Early Childhood Education and Care Teachers" Nutrients 12, no. 7: 1984. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu12071984
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