Dietetics at vocational schools - development of action-oriented teaching

Abstract

Dietetics at school are usually intended to impart knowledge and influence the pupils' behaviour. More recent concepts oriented towards WHO's definition of health promotion (Ottawa 1986) do not primarily aim at avoiding certain health risks and false nutrition, but rather concentrate on a non-specific strengthening of personal resources and competence. The novel approach is no longer based on the biomedical risk-factor-model but on Antonovsky's model of salutogenesis and it is linked with a concept of orientation towards action. The authors present an example of how to influence the pupils' behaviour in the field of nutrition/ dietary habits.