Kristodia Otibu Asiedu/Zainab Abdul-Hamid, GNA
Tema, Feb. 26, GNA – The Ghana Health Service (GHS), in collaboration with First Star Academy in Tema Community 12, has held a day’s programme dubbed ‘My Kitchen, My Health’ to promote nutrition among children.
Ms Joyce Asare Kissi, the head of the Tema General Hospital’s Nutrition Unit, told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) that her unit partnered with the school as it feeds into the GHS’ Nutrition Friendly School Initiative (NFSI).
Ms Kissi said the collaborative initiative, which started in 2022, is to address the triple burden of malnutrition through the implementation of several services to improve the nutrition and health of children and adolescents.
She said the aims and objectives were to empower school children to promote positive changes in practices and norms related to nutrition, build their capacity to improve their own nutrition and lifestyle changes, and also encourage them to participate in group activities needed to protect their health and that of members of their community.
Madam Isabella Adigbli, the pre-school headmistress at First Star Academy, told the GNA that the programme serves as a platform for them to educate the children on the importance of eating food from all six food groups and reducing the consumption of fizzy drinks.
Madam Adigli said having a balanced diet that includes essential food groups such as fruits, vegetables, grains, protein, fats, and oil is very significant to their growth and for the body’s immunity.
She said children should replace their sugary drinks with healthier beverages and fruits, as the intake of excess sugar would have some negative effects on their health.
“We aim to empower children with the knowledge and skills they need by preparing them with a strong foundation in nutrition to make healthy choices for themselves,” she said.
She urged parents to reinforce the nutrition lessons given to the children at school by providing them with healthy snacks and food to ensure they understand the benefits of healthy eating habits.
The nutrition officers gave a talk on the various food groups with displays for the children to get a clear understanding of nutrition, while food crafts such as fruit khebabs were also demonstrated and shared to them.
GNA