Children’s Poster Contest on Healthy Eating

Abstract

Objective: To encourage children in 3rd, 4th, and 5th grades to learn about good nutrition and display their knowledge in an attractive poster. Method: A children’s poster contest was conducted through schools in the Washington, DC metro area in conjunction with the 2004 National Health Education Week’s campaign, “Healthy Eating – Every Bite Counts!”. Posters were judged on a 100 point scale, and six winners were chosen for each grade level. The children with the winning posters received cash prizes and were honored at an awards ceremony at the Society for Public Health Education’s (SOPHE) annual meeting. Results: Eligible entries were received from 76 students at 14 schools in the Arlington, VA and Washington, DC school districts. Almost all of the posters showed a good knowledge of nutrition by the students. Conclusion: National Health Education Week themes that are specific to children should encourage participation among schools, teachers, and parents. Partnerships offer possibilities for dissemination of public health education campaigns. A children’s poster contest about healthy eating in schools in the Washington, DC area was successful in gaining 76 entries from 14 schools, and children displayed a high level of knowledge of which foods were healthy for them and a high level of creativity and artistic talent.