Model for food and nutrition education in the initial training of primary school teachers

Abstract

Introduction: Food and nutrition education is a social requirement in the initial training of primary school teachers. Its inclusion requires an interdisciplinary approach based on the biological subjects of the core curriculum, given the absence of a specific subject.
Objective: To propose a didactic model to comprehensively address the process of food and nutrition education as a curricular strategy based on biological subjects.

Methods: A four-stage modeling procedure was followed: theoretical foundation through a literature review, model construction, a model experiment consisting of the design of the Anatomy and Physiology of Primary School Students I course, and a practical intervention with 28 students evaluated using a time series design with four time points. Statistical analysis included the Friedman test to compare the three types of tasks in each subject, and the performance on each type of task across the four subjects, with a significance level of 0.05. The data were processed in SPSS 22.
Results: A model was developed with components such as interobject interaction, theoretical, modeled, and real-life tasks, and the integration of academic and community scenarios. The intervention showed positive performance growth, with significant initial differences between task types that progressively decreased, demonstrating the consolidation of learning.
Conclusions: The model proved viable for interdisciplinary integration and was validated through experimentation and practical intervention, confirming the gradual development of skills in solving real-world problems. It is generalizable to physicians and nurses, who play essential formative roles as primary educators of their patients and undergraduate and postgraduate students.