Effects of nutrition knowledge, personal health and self-efficacy on food-related teaching practices of elementary school pre-service teachers

Abstract

Objective: This study aimed to determine the impact of personal health, body mass index (BMI), nutrition knowledge and self-efficacy on classroom food-related beliefs and practices. Design: A cross-sectional design evaluated BMI, personal health index (PHI), nutrition knowledge, self-efficacy and food-related beliefs and practices of pre-service teachers. Setting: Pre-service teachers were recruited from upper division elementary education courses at a university in the southeast region of the USA. Participants ( n = 94) were Hispanic (65%), White (60%) and female (93%). Method: Participants completed a survey composed of validated questionnaires. Descriptive statistics and structural equation modelling were used to examine the relationships between pre-service teachers’ personal nutrition factors and food-related teaching beliefs. Results: Results indicate that personal health factors, nutrition knowledge and self-efficacy for teaching nutrition contribute to pre-service teachers’ beliefs about the school food environment and food-related teaching practices. Conclusion: Interventions focusing on student teachers’ personal health behaviours and nutrition knowledge may be helpful, as pre-service teachers develop their nutrition-related classroom behavioural intentions.