This chapter reviews the research on promoting healthy dietary behaviors in all youth, not just those who exhibit problems such as obesity or eating disorders. The first section of this chapter presents a rationale for addressing healthy dietary behavior with children and adolescents, on the basis of the impact of these behaviors on short- and…

This unit is designed to familiarize students in grades 3-6 with wheat production; teach them the nutritional value of wheat products and their role in a well-balanced diet; and give then an easy, hands-on experience in bread making with a nominal amount of cleanup for teachers. The kit suggests that in the first week, teachers discuss wheat…

Report of an eight-week nutrition education program and a four-month follow-up study. Program directed toward low-income families in a community setting in Louisiana. A change in eating habits four months after the completion of the program was assumed to indicate sustained behavioral change. (LK)

A survey of the responses of 3,309 Louisiana students was used to determine students' meal and snacking habits at the elementary, junior high, and high school levels. Student responses concerned: (1) where and why food was consumed; (2) vitamin supplements; (3) reasons meals were omitted; and (4) reaction to school lunches. (PP)

Presents an overview of the scope, etiology, and dynamics of bulimarexia. Describes family background, interpersonal relationships, and personality traits of bulimarexics. Discusses treatment approaches and helping strategies. (Author/RC)

Reviewed research on the relationship between health, family communication, and support systems. Described a project encouraging family members to support each other's attempts to alter their diet and exercise patterns. Demonstrated that promoting social support for change among family members can encourage changes in diet and, less effectively,…

Summarizes the discussions and identified research priorities from a 1980 Workshop on Nutrition Education Research relating to areas of anthropology, communications, psychology, and social psychology. (DS)

A computer-assisted instruction (CAI) unit was designed to teach renal diet therapy. Utilizing this unit, differences in performance and attitudes between traditionally taught and CAI taught students (N=34), and differences in achievement between students in two nutrition fields were assessed. (DS)

Describes a course on food habits during which students studied and applied the basic principles of behavior modification. (MA)

Explored the link between development of bulimic eating behavior and suppression of masculine traits in adolescence. German high school students completed a sex role inventory. Among girls, higher risk of developing bulimia appeared to be caused by increasing discrepancies between actual and ideal self-concept on masculine-typed personality…

Examines the influence of media use on youth adiposity, dietary habits, and physical activity levels, noting that children and adolescents are increasingly turning to sedentary leisure time activities, which is leading to decreased physical activity levels, increased body mass index, and increased high- energy food intake. Current and future…

The classroom-based Know Your Body program focuses on diet, physical activity, and smoking prevention in elementary schools. Longitudinal testing in two New York City schools found significant favorable changes in blood cholesterol, dietary intake of fat and carbohydrates, health knowledge, and reduction in the initiation of smoking. (SK)

Reviews what is known about the factors that influence child's food-acceptance patterns, including children's sensory responsiveness, innate preferences, and ability to learn about food; the consequences of eating; and the effect of child-feeding practices on children's food-acceptance patterns. Suggests that early experience contributes to the…

This study found chronic regurgitation in 23 of 220 institutionalized adults with severe mental retardation. A high prevalence of dysphagia and gastroesophageal abnormalities was found, suggesting the importance of full evaluation and treatment prior to a diagnosis of rumination in this population. (Author/DB)

Surveys measured components of family environment and adolescents' risk of developing anorexia nervosa or bulimia. Females displayed a greater risk than males for developing eating disorders. Lower cohesion, expressiveness, independence, and organization in the family implied a higher eating disorder risk, as did greater conflict and control. (RJM)