Page 202 - Nutrition Counseling and Education Skills: A Guide for Professionals

Nutrition professionals should assess and note the child activity patterns, including number of hours spent
exercising, participating in athletic events, watching television, or playing video games. During the school-age
years, children tend to be heavily influenced by peers and classmates. In addition, they are more exposed to the
various forms of technology, such as television and social media. In particular, there appears to be a strong
relationship between obesity or weight gain and sedentary status and snacking patterns.15,21

Counseling Strategies

As with preschool-age children, nutrition professionals must address various challenges when counseling
school-age children and their caregivers about healthy nutrition plans. One challenge that the counselor will
encounter is a child’s busy, and often unpredictable schedule. Many adults and their children do not eat
breakfast. Another option is that they may pick up a fast-food breakfast from a drive-through location and eat
it on the way to school. Children who eat a healthy breakfast are more likely to have lower cholesterol levels,
maintain a healthy weight, and exhibit a higher level of awareness and concentration in school.13,15,21 Nutrition
counselors should recommend to school-age children and their parents or guardians the value of eating
breakfast.13,15.They can reinforce this concept by providing examples of quick nutritious breakfast options. In
addition, traditional breakfast foods (i.e., scrambled eggs, toast, and cereal) can be interchanged with
nontraditional foods (i.e., peanut butter, bean burrito, and pizza) to keep continuing interest and involvement
in food choices.

After-school snacks are often required to meet the child’s energy needs. Children who become involved in
competitive sports or after-school vigorous activities may need additional nutrients or have an increased
appetite. Conversely, children who are sedentary after school may require snacks that are more appropriate to
their lower energy needs than active counterparts. Many children consume a significant percentage of their
calories after school when they have more time to eat and/or a wider array of foods may be available as in the
home setting. The nutrition counselor should provide caregivers and coaches proactively with healthy snack
ideas appropriate to the child’s needs.

Counselors should be aware of the nutritional trends and patterns among school-age children. The number
of school-age children who are overweight is of concern because it has more than doubled in the past decade.
Physical inactivity, parental overweight and obesity trends, and skipping meals may contribute to overweight
in children.21 Globally and as well as within the United States, a significant number of children are estimated
to experience food insecurity defined as an unstable access to food. Although this differs from chronic
malnutrition, professionals should be vigilant in identifying children and families at risk.22

School-age children also have many concerns about their body image and appearance. It is during these
years that many children become preoccupied with their weight and may start dieting. About one-third of
children think they weigh too much. Many children also believe that their weight is above average cultural and
societal standards. As a result, nearly half of all children have attempted to lose weight or have engaged in a
diet plan within the previous year.13,15

Health educators should create nutrition activity programs that seek to educate children about appropriate
and healthy food choices and nutrition behaviors. Children want learning to be fun.

Active learning activities for children area recommended. For example, nutrition professionals can have
children actively measure quantities or amounts of food by providing them with actual ingredients, scales, and

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