Nutrition education program in a rural elementary school

Abstract

Objective
The present article presents methods and technologies for food and nutrition education interventions whose development was based on a diagnosis made at a school and community. The theoretical assumption was the work-mediated man-environment interaction.

Methods
The approach was guided by the concepts of health promotion, community nutrition and problem-solving education. The program, called “Teaching to love the land and what the land produces” was developed together with 155 students from preschool to seventh grade from a rural elementary school in the state of São Paulo, southeastern Brazil. The nutrition education program consisted of: presentation of the diagnosis to the teachers and students’ families; development of a story based on diagnostic elements; construction of a scale model of the area; tasting of fruits cultivated locally; and exhibition of the scale-model to the families.

Results
The methods and technologies used awakened interest in the activities because they reflected their daily routines and valued their work, history and cultural identity, strengthening the families’ self-esteem. Fruits received a new meaning, being a right of the producer. There were also conflicts of interest between the city hall and the researchers.

Conclusion
It was possible to create a food and nutrition program based on the work-mediated man/environment relationship, where the theme diet was not based on nutrition science, but on a diagnosis of the consumption practices, values and representations that promote the development of interventional technologies. The above mentioned conflicts of interest must be borne in mind when public policies on food and nutrition security are planned.