Diet quality of elementary and middle school teachers is associated with healthier nutrition-related classroom practices
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Date
2020Journal
Preventive Medicine ReportsPublisher
Elsevier Inc.Type
Article
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Many schools have implemented policies and programs to address childhood obesity. However, few have evaluated obesity-related health behaviors among teachers, or how these behaviors may be associated with teachers’ nutrition-related practices in the classroom setting. This cross-sectional study utilized data from teachers employed in 20 schools representing three public school districts in a mid-Atlantic state from 2017 to 2019 to examine associations between teachers’ diet quality and their nutrition-related classroom practices (e.g. rewarding students with food; modeling healthy diet behaviors). Measures included: one 24-h dietary recall summarized via healthy eating index (HEI-2015; higher scores indicate better diet quality; Range: 0–100); demographics, self-reported height/weight (BMI; ≥25 kg/m2 = overweight/obese), and nutrition-related classroom practices (10 item survey; sum score range: 0–40; alpha = 0.65; higher score = more health-promoting practices). Associations between HEI and nutrition-related classroom practices were assessed in multilevel models, adjusting for covariates (gender, race/ethnicity, age, income, BMI, years teaching) and controlling for within-school effects. Of 331 teachers recruited, 116 (35.0%) completed both the optional dietary recall and incentivized survey (analytic sample: 89% female; 45% black; 79% overweight/obese; BMI = 30.5 ± 7.1; aged 41.1 ± 11.8 years). Means and standard deviations were calculated for HEI (52.2 ± 12.2) and nutrition-related classroom practices sum score (25.4 ± 5.9). For every one-unit increase in HEI, there was a 0.20 increase in nutrition-related classroom practices score (SE = 0.05; p < 0.001), which remained significant in the adjusted model. To better inform obesity prevention efforts, future studies should collect data among both students and teachers and explore the mechanisms through which teacher health behaviors may impact student health behaviors. Copyright 2020 The Author(s)Sponsors
Center Pilot and Feasibility Program (E.A.P, NIH NIDDK P30DK072488 ); American Heart Association , United States (E.A.P, 19CDA34660015 /Elizabeth Parker/2019); University of Maryland Baltimore , Institute for Clinical and Translational Research , United States; and Program in Health Disparities and Population Health Seed Grant, University of Maryland School of Maryland , United StatesIdentifier to cite or link to this item
https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85082859716&doi=10.1016%2fj.pmedr.2020.101087&partnerID=40&md5=00d6a7f9d69991305a3d9042abc801f1; http://hdl.handle.net/10713/12538ae974a485f413a2113503eed53cd6c53
10.1016/j.pmedr.2020.101087