Nutrition for

Growing Kids
An education program targeting both parents
and kids to promote healthy weight
maintenance in growing 4-5 year olds!

Haley Singer | Colin Marsh | Breanna Metras | Evelyn Ellis

 Target Population
● Preschoolers and their parents
● Parents who are in lower income households
● Overweight and obese children
● Families that are not active during the pandemic
● Nutrition programs
○ WIC and WIC’s Farmers Market Nutrition Program
○ Head Start
○ SNAP
 Nutritional Demands

● Macronutrients
○ Protein: 0.95g/kg/day
○ Fat: 25-35% of calories (for CVD prevention)
○ Carbohydrate: 45-65% of calories
○ Fluids: ~1700 mL/day10
● Micronutrients
○ Iron: 10 mg/day
○ Zinc: 5 mg/day
○ Calcium: 1,000 mg/day
● Supplements
○ Iron supplements: 3mg/kg/D (for anemia)

Brown et al., 2020

 Nutritional Concerns
● Obesity
○ Most prevalent in lower income households
○ Can be prevented by limiting SSBs, screen-time, increased physical activity4
● Dental Caries
○ Prevalent in 33% of children
○ Caused by excessive use of sippy cups, nursing bottles
○ Prevented by receiving 0.25mg of fluoride per day4
● Constipation
○ Ensure adequate dietary fiber intake
○ Obtained from whole grains, fruits, and vegetables4
Brown et al., 2020
 Lifestyle Habits, Behaviors and Practices
● Eating out more often
● Drinking milk and juice instead of water
● Parents buying sugary drinks and snacks
● Eating in large amounts4
● Forced to eat fruits and vegetables, leads to
complicated relationship with food4
● Parental criticism allows food complexes to
develop later in life
Session Information:
Program Overview:
● 4 sessions over 4 weeks
○ 2 on zoom and 2 in person
● Sessions will combine educational
lectures and interactive activities
Goals:
● Parents will understand how to help their
children maintain a healthy weight.
● Kids will be excited and motivated to help
their parents prepare meals and to
exercise in a fun way.
Session 1: Food is Fun (Just Parents)
Session Agenda:
Objectives:
Openly discuss possible lifestyle - 4:00 PM: Welcome
changes to accommodate weight and Introductions
management for children - 4:15 PM:
Understand meaning and purpose of Presentation on
BMI, growth and development Nutrition Education
charts, and nutrition - 4:30 Open
recommendations (DRIs) discussion
- 4:50 COVID
Presentation
- 5:15 Wrap-Up
Session 2: Food is Fun (Parents & Kids)
Objectives:
- Session will create bridge between what the Session Agenda:
parents have learned and introducing the child to
- 4:00 PM: Welcome
the program
and Introductions
- Get to know the child better through observing
- 4:15 PM:
habits and development
Presentation on
Nutrition Education
- 4:30 Open
discussion
- 4:50 COVID
Presentation
- 5:15 Wrap-Up
 Session 3: Let’s Cook Together (Parents & Kids)

OBJECTIVES: 4:00 PM- Introductions & Short

1. Parents and kids can list 2-3 meals that they would Education Session
like to make together.
2. Parents can state one reason why it is important to 4:15 PM- Time to make pizza! Kids
cook with their children and one reason why they will roll the dough, rinse the
should sit down and have family meals without veggies, and measure the cheese.
electronics. Parents will make the homemade
sauce. Then they will come
● Session details: Will take place at the ARC instructional kitchen on a
together to design their pizzas.
Saturday from 4:00 PM- 5:15 PM. We plan to have about 15 parents
and kids attend. We will have 2-3 educators working with the kids and 2
4:45 PM: Put the pizzas in the
working with the parents. oven.
● The education session will consist of the following topics:
i. The Importance of getting everyone involved. 5:00 Eat the pizzas and share
ii. The importance of sitting down and eating together. closing remarks, & ask for
iii. Meal preparation ideas. feedback.
iv. Provide activity ideas related to nutrition that parents and
kids can do together.
 Session 4: Let’s Get Physical (Parents & Kids)

OBJECTIVES: 12:00 PM- Introductions & trivia

1. Parents and kids can list 2-3 ways the child can session for kids to see how much
stay active they know + increase their
2. Parents and kids can state how much exercise their engagement.
child should get each week.
12:15 PM- Education Session

● Session details: Will take place in an empty classroom 12:35 PM: Simon Says (with
on/near campus from 12-1 PM on a Saturday. We plan to exercises) or freeze dance if moved
have about 15 kids and parents attend. to zoom.
● The education session will consist of the following topics:
○ Activity needs (address growth trends 12:55 PM: Closing remarks for the
of this age group) session and program as a whole.
○ Benefits of physical activity
○ Supporting each other
○ Activity ideas and how to keep exercise
enjoyable
Educational Materials/Plan
Educational Materials/Plan (continued)
 Pre-Survey

Helle et al., 2019

 Pre-Survey

Helle et al., 2019

 Promotion Strategies

Email Outreach Printed Fliers

○ Parent groups ○ Preschools
Social Media
○ Elementary & Preschool ○ Local grocery stores
Parent newsletters ○ Facebook ○ Pediatrician offices
○ Mom social clubs (books, ○ Instagram ○ COVID-19 Testing sites
workout, health etc)
○ YMCA & child support progra
Evaluations

BRE Evaluation Plan (1-2 slides)

Adab et al., 2018

Program Implementation & future directives

● Implemented in local CU-community

● Provide evaluation forms to parents
● Assess year 1 results
● Form updated Year 2 plan
 References
1.
Adab P, Barrett T, Bhopal R, et al. The West Midlands ActiVe lifestyle and healthy Eating in School children (WAVES) study: a cluster randomised controlled trial testing the clinical
effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of a multifaceted obesity prevention intervention programme targeted at children aged 6–7 years. Health Technology Assessment. 2018;22(8):1-608.
doi:10.3310/hta22080
2.
Anderson SE, Keim SA. Parent–Child Interaction, Self-Regulation, and Obesity Prevention in Early Childhood. Current Obesity Reports. 2016;5(2):192-200.
doi:10.1007/s13679-016-0208-9
3.
Başkale H, Bahar Z. Outcomes of nutrition knowledge and healthy food choices in 5- to 6-year-old children who received a nutrition intervention based on Piaget’s theory. Journal for
Specialists in Pediatric Nursing. 2011;16(4):263-279. doi:10.1111/j.1744-6155.2011.00300.x
4.
Brown JE, Lechtenberg E. Nutrition through the Life Cycle. Cengage; 2020.
5.
Elinder LS, Patterson E, Nyberg G, Norman Å. A Healthy School Start Plus for prevention of childhood overweight and obesity in disadvantaged areas through parental support in the
school setting - study protocol for a parallel group cluster randomised trial. BMC Public Health. 2018;18(1). doi:10.1186/s12889-018-5354-4
6.
Mcilroy T. How to Increase Your Preschooler’s Attention Span. Empowered Parents. Published August 10, 2018. Accessed April 26, 2021.
http://www.empoweredparents.co/10-ways-to-develop-your-preschoolers-concentration-span/#:~:text=What%20is%20the%20Average%20Attention
7.
Povey R, Cowap L, Scholtens K, Forshaw M. “She’s not obese, she’s a normal 5-year-old and she keeps up with the other kids”: families’ reasons for not attending a family-based obesity
management programme. Perspectives in Public Health. Published online August 14, 2019:175791391986850. doi:10.1177/1757913919868509
8.
Prochaska JO, Velicer WF. The Transtheoretical Model of Health Behavior Change. American Journal of Health Promotion. 1997;12(1):38-48. doi:10.4278/0890-1171-12.1.38
9.
Reading: Age 4–5 (Reception) | Oxford Owl. Oxford Owl for Home. Published 2021. https://home.oxfordowl.co.uk/reading/reading-age-4-5-reception/
10.
Ellis Rby E. Water: How Much Do Kids Need? EatRight. https://www.eatright.org/fitness/sports-and-performance/hydrate-right/water-go-with-the-flow. Accessed April 27, 2021.