ENVIRONMENTAL-FACTORS AND NUTRITIONAL-STATUS OF RURAL CHILDREN

The nutritional status of school-aged children is a growing concern of health care professionals today. In collaboration with a Kellogg Proj ect in the deep south. students from a large university school oi nurs ing participated in a project to improve the nutritional status oi rur al school-aged children, The project goals focused on educating the ch ildren about the U.S. Department oi Agriculture (USDA) Food Guide Pyra mid, reading nutritional labels and recognizing foods with high fat co ntent, and the importance oi exercise along with diet. The nursing stu dents created a nutritional assessment tool to use with each child to determine their educational needs. The project involved lecture, inter active class discussion, and hands-on activities. Information from the assessment tool revealed that last food and foods high in fat were th e most popular with the children. After project completion, the postte st revealed an increase in cognitive knowledge oi nutrition among all the children. In addition to this positive learning experience for the children, improving the health status oi children in the community wa s an excellent educational opportunity for the nursing students.