Abstract:
The purposes of this research were: (1) to study the nutritional status of the Prathom six students, as well as their dietary habits, (2) to investigate the parents choice of food and their perception about food and movement activities for their children, and (3) to study the relationship between the factors and the nutritional status of the students. The sample of this study consisted of 159 students who were studying in Prathom six in Takaupa District. The instruments used for this research were questionnaires. The statistics employed in analyzing the data were percentage, frequency, arithmetic means, standard deviation and Chi - square.The results showed that most of the respondents were girls whose average age was 12 years old. Their parents finished secondary education and worked as employees. Regarding the nutritional status, it was found that about half of the sample group had a well balanced diet. Most of the children ate fruits and vegetables every day. They sometimes consumed meat, eggs, fried food, drinks, snacks and sweets between meals. Their favorite snacks were found to be all kinds of candy, and jelly. However, most girls did not like to eat preserved fruits. In terms of their parents, the researcher found that most of them sometimes chose and prepared the food for their children based on their knowledge of nutrition which they had received from the health personnel. The researcher found that the students always participated in the movement activities provided by their schools. Regarding the factors, it was revealed that the students eating behaviour, the parents choice of food, and the girls movement activities did not have a significant relationship with the students nutritional status. Only the parents perception of the childrens food was found to relate significantly with the students nutritional status.Suggestions included that the school should improve the communication channels to make the students parents to become more aware of the importance of the food choice for their children, especially the at-risk groups. There should be more movement activities in schools and activities for the teachers, parents, and health personnel to share knowledge and experience.