Cebu City -- Children need food, especially when they are growing day by day, but do we know if children understand the importance of nutrition in their life? So here are point of views of a group of 11-year-old children of about 10 of them on their understanding about nutrition. 

The first question asked was if they know what nutrition is. They hesitantly answered, unsure of what it is at first but gave answers that nutrition helps the body move and helps them in their day-to-day physical activities, that it helps them grow taller, stronger, and smarter. And when asked about the reason why good nutrition is important, they answered that it is important to make the body feel better and healthier, that it gives the body vitamins that help the body fight against cough and colds.

The kids were also asked where or how they learned about nutrition. Their answers were quite interesting; they answered that they learned it through watching YouTube videos like Dr. Binocs and TV commercials, especially on vitamins like vitamin C for immunity. When asked if they know about the Pinggang Pinoy and the Ten Kumainments they answered, “No,” even when they were shown the pictures. They also shared that in school, the teacher taught them about healthy food but not necessarily the nutrition guidelines given by the National Nutrition Council. 

When asked if they think that exercise is important, they answered “Yes,” because it helps the body function well and it helps them stay fit and healthy. Kids often bully other bigger kids and they think that it does not help in motivating them to change.

So now we got a glimpse on the understanding of school-aged children on nutrition topics. Their knowledge is greatly influenced by the people around them, especially at home and in school. Although the sample is very few with the total number of 10-year-old children in the region, however, this is a good input for nutrition campaign directed to children. There’s a saying that goes, “Children follow by example not by advice,” so it is encouraged that adults should lead by example and portray to children that the nutrition they invest in their younger years can be fruitful as they grow older. // NO I Christine April M. Lopez, RND