Page 145 - Petelin Ana. Ur. 2022. Zdravje otrok in mladostnikov / Health of children and adolescents. Proceedings. Koper: Založba Univerze na Primorskem/University of Primorska Press
P. 145
A child is a malleable material, so every option offered is a new challenge for health education work in kindergartens 145
him, which after repeated repetitions becomes a routine for him.
So that when he acquires a specific knowledge, he uses it regularly.” They
believe that health and education lessons have a positive effect on the later de-
velopment of the child and that it is necessary to start with health and edu-
cation topics as early as possible, of course thematically adapted to the age of
the child and presented understandably. Kindergartens participate in various
health-related projects, such as Traditional Slovenian Breakfast, Healthy Kin-
dergarten, Eco-School, and Safe in the Sun.
We asked them about the parent’s awareness of their children’s health ed-
ucation, and here the answers were quite different. Interviewee 1’s response,
“They think they are informed because Uncle Google tells them what they want
to know.” I do not think parents talk about health education at home, maybe
when the kids start talking about what we did in kindergarten.”
When asked what should be changed to improve the quality of children’s
health education, there were opinions that health content should be deepened
and implemented more frequently, including parents. They said that it would
be necessary to dedicate more training on this topic to the professionals in kin-
dergartens.
Discussion
In our research, we found that professionals are inadequately trained on health,
although this varies by kindergarten. Respondents expressed a desire for more
such content, and it would be useful to include parents as well, since they are
first and foremost role models for their children. Children‘s lifestyles are in-
itially influenced by family factors, while later in life this can change due to
the influence of school and peers (Mollborn and Lawrence, 2018). Respond-
ents answered that they organize two trainings per year as part of the Health
in Kindergarten program. Participation in these trainings is only available to
educators whose kindergartens are enrolled in this program. However, reg-
ular training within health and education institutions is not available. Sum-
merbell et al. (2012) and Weihrauch-Blueher et al. (2018) claim in their study
that we can take care of children‘s health and prevent obesity with appropri-
ate preventive measures such as healthy diet, physical activity, and proper sleep
hygiene, and these measures must be implemented by parents and educators
in kindergartens. According to Scaglioni et al. (2018), children‘s eating habits
are largely influenced by parents, as they are the ones who provide the child‘s
first experiences with food. Children adopt their parents‘ eating habits and of-
ten practice this pattern later in life. Efforts are made to accustom children
to healthy meals and a varied diet. Blomkvist, Wills, Helland, Hillesund and
Øverby (2021) claim that neophobia is one of the main barriers to vegetable
consumption in children because children are often unwilling to try unfamil-
him, which after repeated repetitions becomes a routine for him.
So that when he acquires a specific knowledge, he uses it regularly.” They
believe that health and education lessons have a positive effect on the later de-
velopment of the child and that it is necessary to start with health and edu-
cation topics as early as possible, of course thematically adapted to the age of
the child and presented understandably. Kindergartens participate in various
health-related projects, such as Traditional Slovenian Breakfast, Healthy Kin-
dergarten, Eco-School, and Safe in the Sun.
We asked them about the parent’s awareness of their children’s health ed-
ucation, and here the answers were quite different. Interviewee 1’s response,
“They think they are informed because Uncle Google tells them what they want
to know.” I do not think parents talk about health education at home, maybe
when the kids start talking about what we did in kindergarten.”
When asked what should be changed to improve the quality of children’s
health education, there were opinions that health content should be deepened
and implemented more frequently, including parents. They said that it would
be necessary to dedicate more training on this topic to the professionals in kin-
dergartens.
Discussion
In our research, we found that professionals are inadequately trained on health,
although this varies by kindergarten. Respondents expressed a desire for more
such content, and it would be useful to include parents as well, since they are
first and foremost role models for their children. Children‘s lifestyles are in-
itially influenced by family factors, while later in life this can change due to
the influence of school and peers (Mollborn and Lawrence, 2018). Respond-
ents answered that they organize two trainings per year as part of the Health
in Kindergarten program. Participation in these trainings is only available to
educators whose kindergartens are enrolled in this program. However, reg-
ular training within health and education institutions is not available. Sum-
merbell et al. (2012) and Weihrauch-Blueher et al. (2018) claim in their study
that we can take care of children‘s health and prevent obesity with appropri-
ate preventive measures such as healthy diet, physical activity, and proper sleep
hygiene, and these measures must be implemented by parents and educators
in kindergartens. According to Scaglioni et al. (2018), children‘s eating habits
are largely influenced by parents, as they are the ones who provide the child‘s
first experiences with food. Children adopt their parents‘ eating habits and of-
ten practice this pattern later in life. Efforts are made to accustom children
to healthy meals and a varied diet. Blomkvist, Wills, Helland, Hillesund and
Øverby (2021) claim that neophobia is one of the main barriers to vegetable
consumption in children because children are often unwilling to try unfamil-
