Appropriate nutrition is associated with healthy nutritional choices, better eating habits, and a greater
likelihood of an independent and healthy lifestyle for children and adolescents in later periods of life.
The nutritional literacy of children is not only affected by formal nutritional education of children, but
also by parents, for example, providing healthy family care and positive attitude towards healthy
743
eating. The purpose of the research was to determine the view of parents on the importance and
influence of formal nutrition education on the nutritional literacy of children acquired during
elementary education. We have examined how often parents allow children to develop nutritional
literacy in the home environment, depending on the individual components of nutrition literacy. The
study included 62 parents of students attending the ninth grade of elementary school. For the purposes
of the research, a questionnaire was developed and the obtained data was analyzed using descriptive
and inferential statistical methods. The results of the research have shown that parents have positive
attitudes towards formal nutrition education so that they feel it is important for children to adopt
individual components of nutrition literacy by the end of elementary education, in particular for
children to choose and integrate healthy food into food, prepare simple dishes, providing appropriate
hygiene conditions that apply to the preparation of safe food. According to parents, it is important that
children develop appropriate behaviour when consuming food. We find that parents show an interest
in formal nutritional literacy of children at school, and there is also a need for practical promotion and
development of skills in the home environment. In order to integrate the knowledge and skills that
pupils adopt in the process of nutritional literacy in school with everyday life in the family, teachers
who, in the process of teaching, encourage the inclusion of pupils in tasks related to eating in the home
environment.
|