Date of Award
12-22-2011
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Physical Education, MSE
First Advisor
Lance Bryant
Committee Members
Blair Dean; Jim Stillwell; Tom Adams
Call Number
LD251 .A566t 2011 A58
Abstract
Childhood obesity is a growing epidemic in America. Children's knowledge of healthy and unhealthy food could be correlated to their Body Mass Index (BMI). Therefore, the purpose of this study is to determine if there is a correlation between children's BMI and their knowledge of healthy and unhealthy foods and to determine if any knowledge differences exist between overweight, obese, and healthy weight children. Participants were 54 kindergarten and 1st grade students in a small rural Arkansas school district. Data were collected quantitatively through a) a 40 question flashcard test in which participants were asked to identify the name of a healthy or unhealthy food item and b) measuring participants' BMI. Results indicated no significant correlation between participants' BMI and knowledge of healthy and unhealthy foods. All participants were able to identify significantly more unhealthy foods than healthy foods. School-based intervention strategies should be implemented in schools to improve student's knowledge of healthy foods.
Rights Management
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Recommended Citation
Allen, Sally Elizabeth, "Children's Knowledge of Healthy and Unhealthy Foods and Its Correlation with Body Mass Index" (2011). Student Theses and Dissertations. 893.
https://arch.astate.edu/all-etd/893
