FM-AA-CIA-15 Rev.

0 10-July-2020

Study Guide in ECED 104 Health, Nutrition and Safety Module No. 1

STUDY GUIDE FOR MODULE NO. 1

FOUNDATIONS FOR WELLNESS IN YOUNG CHILDREN

MODULE OVERVIEW

We all instinctively know from birth that food is essential to our own survival. Studies show that a nutritious
diet will make your child healthier and better able to learn.

Children can be picky eaters. For many parents, picturing a toddler stubbornly throwing a piece of broccoli
to the floor in disgust is easy – after all, it’s an all too familiar scene. However tiring it might be, it’s important
that you find ways to convince your child to eat that piece of broccoli, as studies show that having a balanced
and nutritious diet directly impacts all aspects of a child’s growth and development.

The interrelationship between health, safety, and nutrition regarding children is very important.
Understanding certain guidelines and potential hazardous conditions can help prevent physical and emotional
incidents.

An early care and education program promotes good health and nutrition and provides a safe environment
for children. Basic health and safety management procedures contribute to the prevention of childhood illness
and communicable diseases. A safe environment prevents and reduces injuries for young children who are
only beginning to recognize dangerous situations. Good nutrition is important to the physical and intellectual
development of young children. Meals and snacks are used to encourage good nutritional eating habits.

MODULE LEARNING OBJECTIVES

At the end of this module, you should have:

1. analyzed the impact of the early years on children’s life-long health and nutritional status;
2. described current trends affecting health, safety, and nutrition;
3. described the factors that influence children’s health, safety, and nutritional status based on research;
and
4. described the role of culture in children’s health, safety, and nutrition.

IMPORTANCE OF NUTRITION AND HEALTH IN THE EARLY YEARS

Why is Nutrition so Important for Children?

The relationship between nutrition, health and learning is undeniably strong: nutrition is one of the three
major factors that impact a child’s development. Research studies show that nutrition in a child’s early years
is linked to their health and academic performance in later years.

Nutrition and Health

Under-nutrition during pregnancy stunts fetal growth and can lead to poor brain development that result in
irreversible chronic illnesses. Under-nutrition of a breastfeeding mother will likewise negatively impact a child’s
development, especially in the first 6 months when breast milk is all he/she is consuming. For all soon-to-be
and new mothers, it’s worth making sure you’re consuming a healthy and balanced diet full of the vital
nutrients that both you and your child need: carbohydrates, protein, calcium, iron and vitamins A, C and D.

The benefits of good nutrition to health are endless. Firstly, breastfeeding by mothers following nutritious
diets leads to fewer and less severe cases among their children of illnesses including diarrhea, ear infection
and bacterial meningitis. This is because better-nourished children have an enhanced natural ability to fight
infection. Secondly, since iron is a vital component of brain tissue, iron deficiency makes nerve impulses
move slower and may cause permanent damage to a child’s brain, especially in the first two years of his/her

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Study Guide in ECED 104 Health, Nutrition and Safety Module No. 1

life; iron deficiency during this time is linked to behavioral changes and delayed psychomotor development.
Thirdly, under-nutrition has been proven to decrease a child’s activity levels, social interactions, curiosity and
cognitive functioning.

Nutrition and Academic Performance

It is important to monitor your child’s nutrient intake for the sake of their later performance. For instance,
breastfeeding appears to lead to higher IQ, while iron deficiency correlates with reduced cognition and
achievement at school age. Under-nourished children get sick more often, they miss more school and fail to
keep up with peers. Research has made the link even clearer: school-age children who eat breakfast do
better in tests than those that go without.

Following nutritional guidelines is relatively straightforward during pregnancy, as well as at the start of your
child’s life. When your child starts to form likes and dislikes, you must accept preferences but continue to
introduce new foods by making silly faces and playing peek-a-boo until you hear that giggle and see your
toddler happily putting the spoon into their mouth themselves.

LEARNING ACTIVITY 1

Based on researches, design an infographic on:

1. Importance of nutrition and health

CURRENT TRENDS AND RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN CHILDREN’S HEALTH, SAFETY, AND NUTRITION

The Connection between Health, Safety and Nutrition

Some preventive health care practices that people can take are avoidance of smoke and substance abuse
such as drugs and alcohol, eat a healthy diet low in fat, exercise routinely, brush teeth regularly, and
frequently washing your hands. Instilling healthy habits and practices in children can help prevent accidents
due to lack of proper nutrition all the way to making sure they wear a safety helmet when riding their bicycle. It
has been documented by the World Health Organization that health is a state or quality of total physical,
mental, and social well-being.

Some factors that may affect children’s health are heredity and the environment. Through heredity, this is
when the child’s characteristics are transmitted from the parents to their children at the time of conception to
determine genetic traits. Understanding a child’s heredity can help determine the predisposition of health
problems including heart disease, cancer, allergies, etc. Environment can play an equally important part in a
child’s development. The environment includes physical, social, economic, and cultural factors. These
factors often influence how children think, perceive, and act on certain situations in their surroundings.

Children’s safety is very important. Safety is the behavior and practices that protect children from risks or
injury. Controlling safe environments for children such as having developmentally appropriate equipment
will help prevent accidents. Even minor accidents have immediate effects on a child’s health. It is imperative
that adults scan the area of which children are to eliminate and put away hazardous materials out of reach of
young children. So strict monitoring is needed. Another form of protection is setting rules and limitations.
Rules help children to learn what is expected, and ensures safety.

Nutrition is defined as all processes used by a child to take in food and to digest it, absorb, transport,
utilize, and excrete food substances. The substances found in foods are called nutrients. Eating food is a
very important component of life. Eating proper foods that ensure good nutrients increases a child’s energy,
growth and development, normal behavior, resistance to illness and infection, and tissue repair. The intake of
nutrients affects the behaviors of children. A child who is well nourished is usually more alert and attentive,
and has better physical and learning experiences. The way a child responds to resistance of illnesses, proper
nutrition plays an important part. Well-nourished children are less likely become ill, and when they are ill
recovery is quicker.

LEARNING ACTIVITY 2

Based on researches, design an infographic on:

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Study Guide in ECED 104 Health, Nutrition and Safety Module No. 1

1. Current trends affecting children’s health, safety, and nutrition

FACTORS THAT INFLUENCE CHILDREN’S HEALTH, SAFETY AND NUTRITION

What Contributes to a Child’s Overall Wellbeing?

The 4 factors that affect child wellbeing are:

 Economic wellbeing factors including affordable housing and unemployment contribute to how
parents can support their children. Growing up in poverty increases the risk of a child experiencing
negative impacts to their brain development, negative health outcomes, and poor performance in
school.
 Education factors play a large role in a child’s overall wellbeing and can affect their post-secondary
plans, which college they attend, and what jobs they get as adults. Early in a child’s life is a critical
time to set a foundation for successful learning.
 Health factors add to the overall development of a child. Nutrition and access to good healthcare are
both keys to ensuring a child is healthy and can become a healthy adult.
 Family and community factors impact children in an important way. We know that children grow
best in families, with supportive and trusting relationships to help them learn and grow. Children also
need good schools and supportive services to succeed.

“It is our duty as citizens to ensure that children are in a family setting, in the most natural setting possible,
with people who are connected to them and who truly love them, and that will make the difference for them.”
~Jodie Austin

LEARNING ACTIVITY 3

Based on researches, design an infographic on:

1. Factors that influence children’s health, safety, and nutrition

SUMMARY

Nutrition may not be on the list of your child’s favorite things but it is crucial to the process of early
childhood development. Healthy eating in a child’s early years can increase their cognitive development and
ability to learn for years to come.

Health, safety, and nutrition play pertinent roles with each other. The way a child feels in each role is
dependent upon the others. Each role affects the other. If a child becomes physically injured, they may
become disinterested in eating. When this occurs, they begin to lack in certain nutrients causing the injury to
last longer. Therefore, good nutrition plays an important part in accident prevention. There may even be cases
where children who lack in nutrients become increasingly accident prone because of low blood sugar.
Maintaining a healthy and safe weight can also prevent accidents. Through regular exercise, eating, and
safety precautions, children can ward off many illnesses.

Most people know that children need shelter, food, and love to be happy and healthy, but there’s more to
consider. The overall wellbeing of a child can be greatly affected by the child himself or herself, the people
he/she interacts with like their family and community, and also by the state in which they are born and raised.

REFERENCES

https://novakdjokovicfoundation.org/importance-nutrition-early-childhood-development/
Marotz, L., Cross, M., & Rush, J. (2012). Health, safety, and nutrition for the young child. (8th ed.)
Clifton Park, NY: Thomson Delmar Learning

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Study Guide in ECED 104 Health, Nutrition and Safety Module No. 1

Additional Resources: AbilityPath.org. (2012) Finding balance: Obesity and children with special needs.
Available from http://www.abilitypath.org/health-daily-care/health/growth-and-nutrition/articles/obesity/pdfs/
obesity-report.pdf
http://tipsformotherandbaby.blogspot.com/2014/12/the-interrelationship-between-health.html
Anti-Defamation League. (2004). Assessing Children’s Literature. Available from http://
www.adl.org/education/assessing.asp
American Childhood Cancer Organization. (2012). Just for kids. Available from http://
www.acco.org/Information/ForKids/ForKids.aspx
American Childhood Cancer Organization. (2012). Free books for families of children with
cancer. Available from http://www.acco.org/Information/Resources/Books.aspx
https://www.kvc.org/blog/4-state-specific-factors-that-affect-a-childs-wellbeing/#:~:text=What%20Contributes
%20to%20a%20Child's%20Overall%20Wellbeing&text=Within%20the%20study%2C%20four
%20categories,state%20rankings%20for%20child%20wellbeing.
AstraZeneca. (2004). Bubbliboo. Available from http://www.bubbliboo.com/ Beyond Access & Center for
Persons with Disabilities, Utah State University. (2003).
Inclusive outdoor learning environments: An introductory guide. Available from http://
www.beyondaccess.org/tutorials/introductory guide.pdf
Center for Disease Control. (2012). Winnable Battles: Nutrition, physical activity and obesity. Available from
http://www.cdc.gov/WinnableBattles/Obesity/index.html
Children's Disabilities Information. (n.d.). Feeding Issues of Children. Available from http://
www.childrensdisabilities.info/feeding/index.html
Division for Early Childhood. (2007). Prevention of social, emotional, physical and cognitive
disabilities and the promotion of health, safety and well-being. Available from http://
www.dec-sped.org/uploads/docs/about_dec/position_concept_papers/

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