Nutrition & Hygiene Manual for School Children

The manual aims to improve child nutrition in selected communities and government schools through research that informs innovation and good practice. A survey conducted by AKU-HDP in October-December 2016 involved almost 1100 children enrolled in classes 2-5 of 36 CMP schools in 8 districts of Sindh and 5 towns of Karachi. The survey aimed to understand the Knowledge, Attitude, and Practices (KAPs) related to nutrition and hygiene of the children. Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) and Participatory Action Research (PAR) were also conducted in selected adjoining communities to understand the complexity of malnutrition and its determinants in the local context. The survey found that children have small appetites and big energy needs, and a pattern of 3 healthy meals along with 2-3 small healthy snacks is usually considered ideal for them. However, the majority of the children have 3 meals daily, but the breakfast is not a complete balanced meal, and more than half the children do not consume midmorning, evening, or bedtime snacks. The diets of the children are mostly based on consumption of carbohydrate foods, with potatoes being the most consumed food item. The survey also found that protein is an important dietary component for the diet of growing children, and egg is a complete protein and encouraged in diets of young children. However, only 14% of the children have an egg daily, and about 59% of the children never or rarely consume egg. The other important source of dietary protein is animal meat, but majority of the children (77%) only rarely or sometimes consume animal meat. The manual has been developed based on the findings of the survey, and it aims to educate children in nutrition and hygiene at an early stage to ensure that healthy practices become a habit that will be followed during life. The manual is divided into 3 sections, with Section 1 and 2 comprising short modules for children on nutrition and personal and environmental hygiene, respectively. Section 3 is especially included to develop skills of facilitators. The manual addresses and aims to improve nutrition and hygiene practices of school students by helping school children to understand why their body needs food and the importance of healthy diet, understand the importance of hygiene and physical activity, develop healthy diet, hygiene, and physical activity habits, become aware of the importance of a safe environment, give them an opportunity to practice what they learn, and empower them to share their knowledge with other family members. The manual provides basic understanding of healthy diet and how to achieve it in the limited resources of the areas the manual is designed for. The focus is on children understanding the need and importance of having a healthy diet so that they are motivated to make a conscious effort to achieve it. The manual also includes modules on personal and environmental hygiene, with the focus on making the children understand the need and importance of hygiene so that they are motivated towards taking actions to practice what has been taught. The manual is designed to support trainers who may or may not have previous experience in nutrition education. The package includes a collection of module plans for school-age children, along with supporting Power Point Presentations, to help trainers and teachers educate young students regarding a healthy lifestyle. The manual is meant to be a practical tool for trainers and teachers to educate children on nutrition and hygiene practices, and to empower them to make positive changes in themselves and their environment.