About the Bash Street Kids research
Friday 25 July 2003
The Bash Street Kids cartoon characters have been used to help children make better nutritional choices in a Food Standards Agency funded school-based project. The intervention was carried out in 1999 with more than 500 pupils in two primary schools in Dundee, Scotland (464 children in two further schools acted as controls).
A whole-school approach was taken to increase provision and encourage the consumption of fruit and vegetables. It utilised:
- school tuck shops
- school lunch options
- tasting opportunities
- posters
- quizzes
- newsletters
- curriculum materials
You can find some of the material that was used in the project in this section. Primary school teachers should find these useful.
Helping people of all ages to improve their diet is one of the Agency's key aims. An important area is encouraging children to choose a healthy balanced diet.
To investigate the particular dietary and nutritional problems of young people, and therefore target them effectively, the Government carried out a National Diet and Nutrition Survey of young people aged 4 to 18 years. This was published in 2000.
The survey showed that, typically, diets of young people were nutritionally poor. For example, one in five young people aged 4 to 18 ate no fruit or vegetables during the week of the survey.
Educating children about healthy eating is a key issue
School provides an excellent opportunity to promote a healthier lifestyle to children. With the aim of encouraging children to choose a healthy diet, the Food Standards Agency commissioned five school-based research projects in different parts of the UK under a programme entitled ‘Food Acceptability and Choice’.
The aim of some of these projects was to identify effective ways of encouraging primary-school-aged children to eat more fruit and vegetables. These projects have been completed and reveal that fun and educational initiatives, particularly those using a whole-school approach, can help children make better nutritional choices.
The Food Standards Agency is also working with other Government departments, such as the Department for Education and Skills, and the Department of Health, to develop effective ways of encouraging children to make informed choices about what they eat. This will help to equip them with the knowledge and necessary skills to maintain healthy diets in later life.
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See also
(pdf 672KB)