Comics, Music Games and Lab Experiments: Nudging Methodology as a Novel Approach in Children’s Nutritional Education
Eleonora Polo, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR), Istituto per la Sintesi Organica e la Fotoreattività (ISOF), Bologna (Italy)
Armida Torreggiani, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR), Istituto per la Sintesi Organica e la Fotoreattività (ISOF), Bologna (Italy)
Giacomo Bianchin, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR), Istituto per la Sintesi Organica e la Fotoreattività (ISOF), Bologna (Italy)
Emanuela Saracino, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR), Istituto per la Sintesi Organica e la Fotoreattività (ISOF), Bologna (Italy)
Lorenzo Mazzuchelli, Università degli Studi di Milano, Scienze Agrarie ed Alimentari (Italy)
Alberto Zanelli, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR), Istituto per la Sintesi Organica e la Fotoreattività (ISOF), Bologna (Italy)
Abstract
Childhood obesity is one of the most challenging public health issues of this century and it has emerged as a pandemic health problem worldwide. Various factors can play a role in causing this condition. Some cannot be changed, such those related to genes and hormones, but others may be
within a family's ability to change, such as physical activity and eating habits. Promoting among children a healthier attitude towards food is crucial for preventing an excessive consumption of fats and sugars, especially because the intake of plant-based foods like vegetables
and legumes (V&L) continues to decline. To make V&L more appealing and raise awareness about a balanced diet, educational tools have been implemented as "nudges" with children from primary schools. Nudges are subtle changes in the environment that maintain freedom of choice, but steer people in a particular direction.
The project LO-VEg has designed and tested various tools focused on V&L, such as comics, music, games, and experimental kits, both in formal (i.e., primary schools) and informal (i.e., open-access events) educational environments. V&L were the center of those activities because their adequate intake is essential for a balanced diet and for reducing the childhood obesity risk. The aim of this unconventional nudging approach is to make this topic more appealing for children to promote healthier dietary choices.
Our strategies involved the integration of key information on healthy eating with the creation of different educational approaches, such as a comic book, a song combined with a cartoon, a game focused on the dietary pyramid and/or hands-on experiments to detect the presence of bioactive
molecules in V&L.
Preliminary data show that nudging-based strategies can be an effective method for fighting childhood obesity and promoting lifelong healthy eating habits, potentially outperforming more traditional awareness campaigns in schools and in social contexts.
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Keywords
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Nudges, school, nutritional education, vegetables and legumes, Comics, lab experiments
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REFERENCES
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[1] OKKio alla SALUTE - The Results 2019 https://www.epicentro.iss.it/okkioallasalute/pdf2020/infografica-en-2019.pdf
[2] Capacci, S., et al. (2012). Policies to Promote Healthy Eating in Europe: A Structured Review of Policies and Their Effectiveness. Nutrition Reviews, 70: 188-200
[3] Thaler, R.H. and Sunstein, C.R. (2008). Thaler, R.H. and Sunstein, C.R. (2008). Nudge: Improving decisions about health, wealth, and happiness. Yale University Press
[4] https://www.funvegetables.it/
[5] https://loveg.it/
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