Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices of Primary School Teachers on Nutrition and Food

Introdution  The teacher's formation is a paramount condition for the education in health. Objective  To develop a questionnaire and assess knowledge, attitudes and practices of early years school teachers. Methodology  a questionnaire about nutrition and feeding was applied. The subjects were teachers from pre-school to 5th grade of Elementary School. Results  There were 288 teachers in the survey. They were all in favor of the promotion of a healthy feeding in school. The source of information mostly used was the textbook. 76% thought they had good knowledge about a healthy diet. The average number of positive/correct answers was 21 (48%). Conclusions  The knowledge about nutrition and feeding were insufficient and the general performance in the questionnaire was low. Actions that aim at qualifying the teachers are urgent, so that they can develop the necessary tools to promote a healthy feeding in schools.