Knowledge, Attitudes, and Behaviors of Food and Nutrition for Elementary Aged Children in Iron County, Utah

Hunger in the United States is an issue that is increasing despite the abundance of the world we live in. We are concerned that poor nutrition and food habits can have on physical and cognitive development and future food habits. We wanted to understand how these habits might be impacting our local community and attempt to identify resources that might be able to fill the knowledge and practices gap. We asked 137 local elementary school parents about their knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors related to food and nutrition. It is our belief that the results of this survey are critical for identifying issues where knowledge can be increased and practices can be improved. Our results provided a fundamental understanding of the community’s knowledge, attitudes, and practices of nutrition and allow for customized research-based solutions to local problems of hunger and nutrition. Possibly through farm to school lunch programs and teaching gardens.