Abstract
Improper diet and lack of physical activity are the most critical factors contributing to the overweight and obesity pandemic. Along with heavy alcohol consumption and smoking, these four factors contribute the most to the development of chronic non-communicable diseases.
According to WHO (2014) these diseases kill more than 36 million people worldwide annually, with more than 9,000,000 deaths occurring before the sixtieth year of life. The average one-year health expenditure per capita in Europe has, in the last 15 years, more than doubled.
The rapid rise of health-care expenditures predicts strong economic utilization across the European Region and national economics of all Member States. Prevention is less expensive than treatment, and prevention in terms of changes in diet and lifestyle remain the most effective way to permanently reduce the financial costs of health care.
Successful health promotion of each country including Czech Republic requires the participation of all sectors of society and the common responsibility of all departments, including the Ministries of finance, agriculture, health and education. There is a critical need for improvement of nutritional lifestyles of youth in order to strengthen their health, increase the quality of life of the next generation and decrease the health costs and prevalence of obesity and other health-related problems.
Main research objective of this study was to analyze and to evaluate the current students' nutrition and to design the Nutrition Education Program for Czech grammar schools (NEP) as a tool of active promotion of health of students. The purpose of NEP is an improvement of health of child and adolescents through providing complete teacher curricula to Nutrition Education educators which leads them step by step through the entire Nutrition Education unit, and provides all necessary materials for the education.
The investigation of the nutrition lifestyle (nutritional habits, attitudes to proper nutrition, motivation to good nutrition and acquired cooking skills needed for health nutrition) of school-aged Czech students was solved by self designed Nutritional Questionnaire research method of data collection. The level of nutritional knowledge was determined by self designed Nutritional Knowledge test research method, inspired by analysis of the Czech Health Education Curriculum and Expected Outcomes of educational areas for Nutrition Education.
Between the years 2013-2015 NEP was designed based on an analysis of current dietary habits and nutritional knowledge of students (in the total number of 1027 students) of the last grade from various Czech grammar schools (in the total number of 36 schools) and a detailed study of the Nutrition Education Program "School Enrichment Kits" as a part of the SNAP-Ed program, developed at the University of Nebraska Lincoln Extension in Lancaster County. Last year (2015) male and female teachers of the total number of 362 participated in this study by filling up the questionnaire analyzing and evaluating the current phase of implementation of Nutrition Education within the compulsory schooling in the Czech grammar schools.
Results shoved that the vast majority of respondents (90.3%) who teach Nutrition Education would appreciate the possibility of using NEP for their classes. In the current phase is the NEP being piloted at two different grammar schools by male and female educators of health education (male, 35 years, 3 years of teaching experiences; female, 58, 37 years of teaching experiences).
Based on educators' feedback the NEP will be finally updated and since next school year will be put into the practice at chosen Czech grammar schools. The Czech Republic education system is being overwhelmed by theory and lacks implementation to the practice.
Application of NEP will enable to provide the curriculum and numerous "hands-on" activities to Czech students while having fun and improving the potential for knowledge retention. NEP promote proper diet effectively and helps to shape the personalities and attitudes of students in the desired direction.