The association between nutrition and physical activity knowledge and weight status of primary school educators
SOURCE: South African Journal of Education
OUTPUT TYPE: Journal Article
PUBLICATION YEAR: 2014
TITLE AUTHOR(S): L.Dalais, Z.Abrahams, N.P.Steyn, A.De Villiers, J.M.Fourie, J.Hill, E.V.Lambert, C.E.Draper
KEYWORDS: FOOD AND NUTRITION, OBESITY, PHYSICAL ACTIVITY, PRIMARY EDUCATION, SCHOOL CHILDREN, WEIGHT MANAGEMENT
Print: HSRC Library: shelf number 8473
HANDLE: 20.500.11910/2115
URI: http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11910/2115
OUTPUT TYPE: Journal Article
PUBLICATION YEAR: 2014
TITLE AUTHOR(S): L.Dalais, Z.Abrahams, N.P.Steyn, A.De Villiers, J.M.Fourie, J.Hill, E.V.Lambert, C.E.Draper
KEYWORDS: FOOD AND NUTRITION, OBESITY, PHYSICAL ACTIVITY, PRIMARY EDUCATION, SCHOOL CHILDREN, WEIGHT MANAGEMENT
Print: HSRC Library: shelf number 8473
HANDLE: 20.500.11910/2115
URI: http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11910/2115
If you would like to obtain a copy of this Research Output, please contact Hanlie Baudin at researchoutputs@hsrc.ac.za.
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to investigate primary school educators' health status, knowledge, perceptions and behaviour regarding nutrition and physical activity. Thus, nutrition and physical activity knowledge, attitudes, behaviour and risk factors for the development of non-communicable diseases of 155 educators were assessed in a cross-sectional survey. Height, weight, waist circumference, blood pressure and random glucose levels were measured. Twenty percent of the sample had normal weight (body mass index, 27.7% were overweight and 52.3% were obese. Most of the participants were younger than 45 years, females 78.1%, resided in urban areas, with high blood pressure, and were inactive with a high waist circumference. Educators' nutrition and physical activity knowledge was poor. Sixty-nine percent of educators incorrectly believed that eating starchy foods causes weight gain and only 15% knew that one should eat five or more fruit and/or vegetables per day. Aspects of poor nutritional knowledge, misconceptions regarding actual body weight status, and challenges in changing health behaviours, emerged as issues which need to be addressed among educators. Educators' high risk for developing chronic non-communicable diseases (NCDs) may impact on educator absenteeism and subsequently on school functioning. The aspects of poor nutrition and physical activity knowledge along with educators' high risk for NCD development may be particularly significant not merely in relation to their personal health but also the learners they teach.-
Related Research Outputs:
- HealthKick: a nutrition and physical activity intervention for primary schools in low-income settings*
- What's in the lunchbox?: dietary behaviour of learners from disadvantaged schools in the Western Cape, South Africa
- Overweight and obesity and associated factors among school-aged adolescents in Ghana and Uganda
- Overweight and obesity and associated factors among school-aged adolescents in Ghana and Uganda
- Overweight and obesity and associated factors among school-aged adolescents in Thailand
- The association of nutrition behaviors and physical activity with general and central obesity in Caribbean undergraduate students
- Overweight, obesity and associated factors among 13-15 years old students in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations member countries, 2007-2014
- A behavioural change intervention study for the prevention of childhood obesity in South Africa: protocol for a randomized controlled trial
- Prevalence of obesity and associated factors in South Africans 50 years and older
- Prevalence of obesity and associated factors in South Africans 50 years and older
- Association of body weight and physical activity with blood pressure in a rural population in the Dikgale village of Limpopo province in South Africa
- Urbanisation and the nutrition transition: a comparison of diet and weight status of South African and Kenyan women
- The dilemma of sugar-sweetened beverages
- Urban-rural and gender differences in tobacco and alcohol use, diet and physical activity among young black South Africans between 1998 and 2003
- Stunting, overweight and obesity in the very young: two sides of the coin
- Prevalence of overweight/obesity and central obesity and its associated factors among a sample of university students in India
- Obesity and the nutrition transition in sub-Saharan Africa
- Childhood overweight and social correlates among school-going adolescents in Dominica and Jamaica
- Prevalence of overweight/obesity and its associated factors among university students from 22 countries
- The potential impact of a 20% tax on sugar-sweetened beverages on obesity in South African adults: a mathematical model