Summer 2005, action research goals

Action research goals

Literature review

Action plan

Conclusion

View the complete slide show Action research project: Increasing nutritional awareness in young families Problem statement. Most parents in the U.S. have some exposure to the idea that what their children eat affects their health. Information about nutrition and health is disseminated by public institutions such as hospitals and schools. Ad campaigns by government and non-profit organizations offer information, counseling, and help. Moms, dads, and other family members often seek to pass on the best of what they know. In spite of these efforts, however, statistics show that the rates of chronic illness and obesity among American children are rapidly rising, even reaching epidemic proportions (Walker, 2005.) So what factors may be hindering families from implementing sound nutritional strategies in the home? Dr. W. Allan Walker (2005), Director of the Division of Nutrition, Harvard Medical School, addresses some key areas that help uncover the challenges parents face. He points out that the knowledge base needs to be updated to reflect current research about nutrition, and he highlights the importance of addressing the behavioral side of nutritional strategies. This action research project provides families with activities and resources to increase their nutritional awareness and to assist them in developing a sound nutritional strategy in the home. Goal for improvement. The goal of the project is to provide families with young children activities and resources that will increase their nutritional awareness. Dr. Walker (2005) believes that parents must be aware of both the knowledge and behavioral side of nutrition, so the activities and resources of the project are designed with this in mind. Sufficient material is provided to challenge each participant, since each family enters the project with varied backgrounds and experiences in nutrition. I am interested to learn which areas of the study will have the greatest impact and whether or not families will report permanent changes in their nutritional strategy based on what they learn and experience as participants in the study.

Navigation. The links located in the bar toward the top of this page access the following topics: Action research goals: links to the current page. Action plan: links to data sources, objectives, action plan, and nutrition activities Literature review: links to project source material Conclusion: links to questionnaires, measurement of change, conclusion

References

Walker, W. A. (2005). Eat, play, and be healthy: the Harvard Medical School guide to healthy eating for kids. McGraw-Hill.

Back to the top

Author: Jacalyn Watson, City Univeristy, April, 2005