Third-graders don’t always race to get healthy food, but for two classes at Willow Elementary School in Lansing, getting fruits and vegetables showed the MSU students who had been teaching them how much they had learned.
Students from the colleges of human medicine and osteopathic medicine taught basic nutrition and health information to Marilyn Earley’s and Rhonda Jenks’ third-grade classes at Willow Elementary School, 1012 W. Willow St., in Lansing, during an eight-week program this spring.
The four-session program ended April 24, with a relay race including an obstacle course and a mock grocery store where the 45 third-graders chose between healthy and unhealthy foods.
“(Obesity) is already an issue in this age group,” said Megan Colella, a second-year osteopathic medicine student and one of four program leaders. “Some of the kids that tended to be overweight … seemed a little resistant to learning, (but) some kids who are overweight are really excited to learn about it because they want to be healthier.”
During the sessions, each medical student talked to four third-graders about food groups, reading food labels and portion control, as well as oral hygiene. The medical students also touched on other health topics such as drugs and physical activity.
Colella said the sessions generally included four or five activities.
In one session, the medical students led the third-graders in “food bingo,” calling out a food group and letting the students look for examples from that group on their bingo cards.
Earley said some of the information, such as the food pyramid, was new, but repeating other information didn’t waste time.
“(The third-graders) tend to believe (health information) more if they hear it from more than one person,” she said.
Earley said the medical students already had a basic curriculum from fall sessions at Marble Elementary School, 729 N. Hagadorn Road.
She and Jenks asked the medical students to talk about tobacco, alcohol and illegal and prescription drugs.
“(The third-graders) are very streetwise,” she said. “You always want to give them the right information and not let them believe what they hear on the street.”
Pediatrics assistant professor Christopher Pohlod, the medical students’ adviser, said he and the graduate students are evaluating the short quizzes the third-graders took before and after each session to see if they really learned what was being taught.
“We found that in most cases there is a small increase in knowledge,” he said.
“It’s not as large as we would have hoped.”
Colella said the medical students think the program has helped the third-graders and plan to work at Marble and Willow again next year if the American Medical Association, or AMA, renews its $2,000 grant.
She said the AMA has indicated the grant will most likely be renewed next year.
“We don’t care as much about what the numbers say,” she said.
“As long as we can make an impact on one person, that’s what’s important to us.”
Earley said she noticed a difference in her class, because she overheard them talking about the foods they were eating.
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“They loved the way the students handled them,” she said. “I told the med students, ‘Please remember Willow Elementary School, because we want to be involved again next year.’”
