Social representations on food and nutritional education for teachers

Abstract

The objective of this study was to identify the social representations of the teacher that works with children in the public education about their role in school food in a city of Vale do Paraíba Paulista, Brazil. It is an exploratory and descriptive study with a qualitative approach. A sociodemographic questionnaire was applied and a semi-structured interview was conducted. The data analysis was performed through content analysis, with the aid of the IRaMuTeQ program and discussed in the light of the Theory of Social Representations.  Twenty-five teachers participated in the study. Teachers demonstrate that they do not have knowledge about National School Food Program, since they did not mention their participation in the Food and nutrition education activities and it was observed that the education offered about healthy eating in schools is incipient and uses outdated concepts. It is necessary to offer training to professionals who work in early childhood education, covering the National School Food Program, so that food is addressed as a cross-cutting theme within public schools. Although the food offered is considered of quality and has a nutritionist's follow-up, the school is not yet understood as a space for health and nutrition education, showing the need for continuing education addressing this public policy for these professionals.

Keywords: Human Development. School Food. Teachers.