Creating Healthy Habits

Creating Healthy Habits is a resource that has been created by preservice teachers for preservice and in-service teachers. It is a guide for educators who are teaching on the topic of Food and Nutrition, within the Health and Physical Education subject. In some areas, this resource has been targeted at Year 7s, however, most ideas/activties could be easily adapted to suit a specifc year group.

This website will be focusing on preventative health practices and more specifically teaches young people how to identify, manage and/or avoid risks that are associated with food and their health. Ultimately this aides students with the tools to create healthy habits and live a healthy lifestyle. This resource will be mainly following content in the Personal, Social and Community Health strand within the Australian curriciulm. Within the Health and Physical Education Year 7 Curriculum students will learn to evaluate problems and improve their communication skills through a range of preventive health topics, including exploring the Australian dietary guidelines for healthy food choices and serving sizes. They will gain skills to make positive changes and subsequently enhance their long-term health (School Curriculum and Standards Authority, 2014).

Eating healthy food is imperative for good health as it helps reduce disease and leads to an all-round healthier lifestyle (Australian Government Department of Health, 2022). A recent study by the Australian Bureau of Statistics found that 94% of children aged between 2 and 17 do not get enough vegetables in their diet (Australian Government Department of Health, 2022). Informing and equipping students with relevant information will help to address and hopefully reduce these statistics.

There are many health risks associated with a bad diet, such as obesity and developing an eating disorder. Currently 1 in 7 people experience an eating disorder in their lifetime (Health Direct, 2020). This is relevant to educators as school, homelife, lack of confidence and body image issues are factors that can contribute to a poor diet or eating disorder. The Creating Healthy Habits resource will equip teachers with the tools to inform and support their students, fundamentally fostering students to make better decisions. All the topics covered in this resource will be discussed in the hope that students will be able to create their own healthy habits, thus giving them a long, healthy and fulfilling life.