Page 221 - KNJIGA SAŽETAKA

INOVACIJE I IZAZOVI U OBRAZOVANJU I SESTRINSKOJ SKRBI - KNJIGA SAŽETAKA

Nutrition of Students in the Third Year of Secondary

Medical School

This selected work presents a study by third-grade students from the Vinogradska Nursing
School in Zagreb to the conference participants as an example of a modern method for learning
biochemistry and mathematics. In this study, biochemistry and mathematics are connected
through appropriate mathematical knowledge and skills that enable the presentation,
calculation, analysis, and interpretation of data collected during the nutrition study.
While solving problems in the elective mathematics class, students process selected statistical
data related to the health status and dietary habits of the Croatian and European population.
Motivated by statistical data showing that Croatia is at the top in Europe in terms of the number
of overweight people and that Croatian children lag significantly behind their European peers
in fruit and vegetable consumption, students come up with the idea to investigate their own diet.
In the professional literature they research, they find data on daily energy needs, nutrient
requirements, and the optimal ratio of macronutrients for people their age. During the study,
they measure and record the amounts of all foods consumed by one person in one day, calculate
the energy values and masses of selected nutrients in individual foods, calculate the total energy
value and masses of selected nutrients, compare the obtained values with literature data,
consider and propose changes in daily diet according to the study results. They present their
research.
Through activities that are components of the described research, discovery-based learning or
experiential learning takes place. Besides achieving educational outcomes in biochemistry and
mathematics in a modern way and meeting the educational expectations of cross-curricular
themes, students create a simple and useful tool to investigate personal nutrition and, based on
the results obtained, plan changes in diet and/or physical activities to maintain health.

Key words: research, food, nutrients, energy value of food, optimal ratio of macronutrients

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