A Study of Knowledge Attitudes and Practice for Food and Nutrition Dietary Intake and Nutritional Status of the Students of Different Level

Abstract

Schools could be a valuable second front in attempts to bring nutrition and newlinehealth upliftment among the children. (Gopalan, 1974) newlineHealth, education and nutrition support enhance each other. For instance, healthy newlinenutri- tional status improves educational potential by positively affecting attention newlinespan,learning capacity and ability to engage fully in educational experiences (Del Rosso newlineand Marek, 1996). Undernourishment in early childhood can negatively influence school newlineaptitudes, time of school enrolment, school attendance and concentration (WHO, 1996). newlineSchools are ideal settings for nutrition programmes and services, because nutrition and newlineeducation are closely linked, and because dietary, hygienic and exercise habits that affect newlinenutritional status are formed during the school-age years (WHO/FAO, 1998). newlineKnowledge is the capacity to acquire, retain and use information; a mixture of newlinecomprehension, experience, discernment and skill of an individual, Attitude refers to newlineinclinations to react in a certain way to certain situation; to see and interpret events newlineaccording to certain predispositions; or to organize opinions into coherent and newlineinterrelated structure. The basis of the knowledge acquired and the practice is the newlineapplication of rules and knowledge that leads to action which is guided by his knowledge newlineand attitudes. Knowledge attitudes and practice are the cognitive, affective and newlinepsychomotor aspects of the personality of an individual, which are nourished by the newlineeducation which he receives throughout his/ her life time. Thus, education plays a key newlinerole in determining the maturity level and behavior of the individual. newlineWhile a child acquires mental, emotional, and social maturity on account of newlineformal and informal education, his physical growth largely depends on the food and newlinenutrients he takes. Nourishment of the small children is their mothersand#8223; responsibility, who newlinedecides the meal patterns at home. However, as soon as the child starts growing, he newline