A NEW study into the nutrition and physical exercise habits of Corangamite children has gone straight to the source for answers.
Pupils are being asked to answer questions including who usually packs their lunch for school, whether they pester their parents for junk food and if they would join a sports group if they didn’t know anyone else there.
The study aims to identify issues and barriers that make it difficult for kids and families to eat well and be active as they go about their daily lives.
It is part of a Heart of Corangamite Nutrition project, which is a community-based health development initiative promoting physical activity and healthy eating in children and their families.
Seven schools and about 200 pupils in Timboon, Cobden, Simpson, Terang, Camperdown, Lismore and Derrinallum have been included in the fact-finding mission, which will identify issues and then tackle them through the development of new programs.
Terang and Mortlake Health Service health promotion officer Tracey Egan and Timboon and District Healthcare Service health promotion officer Julia Hodges recently visited Simpson Primary School as part of the study.
Grades 5 and 6 pupils participated in an interactive survey where individual hand-held clickers were used to register responses, allowing for anonymity and, therefore, more accurate data recording.
The contents of randomly selected lunch boxes were then recorded for future assessment by a dietitian.
Ms Egan said the data collection method was designed to be fun and hands-on.
She said healthy habits began at an early age and any work that contributed towards this goal was extremely worthwhile.
Ms Hodges agreed with the project’s benefits.
“The right nutrition and physical activity is fundamental to a child’s learning and development in this crucial life stage,” Ms Hodges said.
“Gathering data is the first step towards developing needs-based programs, attracting funding and then rolling out these important programs.”
The nutrition study involves participation from schools, teachers and parents through surveys and focus groups. All data collected is confidential and no pupil names are recorded.