Healthy and Balanced Nutrition for Children through Physical Education Classes

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Health
• Behavioral Science
• Nutrition Education

Background:

• Childhood obesity is a growing concern, affecting 20% of children and increasing risks for cardiovascular and metabolic diseases.
• Physical Education (PE) offers a unique setting to promote healthy eating awareness among children and families.
• Understanding the psychological factors influencing dietary choices is crucial for effective interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the impact of social context in PE on psychological needs, motivation, and dietary intentions in primary school students.
• To analyze the relationships between autonomy support, need satisfaction/frustration, motivation, and adherence to healthy eating behaviors.
• To explore the role of PE in promoting the adoption of a Mediterranean diet.

Main Methods:

• A study involving 113 primary school students aged 9-12 years.
• Utilized structural equation modeling (SEM) to analyze interrelationships between variables.
• Assessed social context, psychological need satisfaction and frustration, motivation, and theory of planned behavior factors.

Main Results:

• A controlling social context negatively predicted need satisfaction and positively predicted frustration.
• An autonomy-supportive context positively predicted need satisfaction and negatively predicted frustration.
• Need satisfaction positively correlated with motivation, which in turn positively influenced intention towards a healthy (Mediterranean) diet.

Conclusions:

• The social environment within PE classes significantly influences students' psychological needs and motivation.
• Autonomy-supportive contexts are crucial for fostering need satisfaction and intrinsic motivation for healthy eating.
• PE programs can effectively promote healthy dietary behaviors, including the Mediterranean diet, by focusing on psychological well-being and supportive environments.