Education & upskilling

1.2.1 Considerations by age group

Prenatal

Education during the prenatal period is crucial as the foundations for long-term health are laid in utero. The focus is on maternal health and its direct impact on the developing foetus.

• Nutrition: Education should emphasize the importance of a balanced diet, including specific nutrients vital for foetal development like folate, iron, and calcium. This is a critical period where maternal diet can influence the offspring’s disease susceptibility later in life, a concept known as the “developmental origins of health and disease” hypothesis (Marrone & Marrone, 2018).
• Lifestyle and Environment: Providing information on the risks of smoking, alcohol consumption, and exposure to environmental toxins is essential. Up-skilling can involve practical skills for stress reduction, such as mindfulness or relaxation techniques, which can positively impact both mother and baby.
• Antenatal Education: Courses should go beyond physical health to cover topics like baby brain development, attachment, and the transition to. This includes psycho-educational interventions to help couples navigate the challenges of new parenthood and maintain a healthy relationship.

Age 0-4

The focus for this age group is on parental education and creating a healthy home environment. Education is aimed at the caregivers who make the day-to-day decisions for the child.

• Parental Role Modelling: Parents are the primary educators. Up-skilling can involve teaching parents how to model healthy eating and physical activity. Children learn by example, so family-wide changes are more likely to be successful.
• Nutrition and Feeding Practices: Providing guidance on appropriate portion sizes and introducing a wide variety of foods is key. A balanced diet should include foods from all five food groups, and parents should be taught to recognize a child’s cues for hunger and fullness to prevent overfeeding.
• Physical Activity: Caregivers should be educated on the importance of daily physical activity for toddlers, including both indoor and outdoor play. This can be as simple as ball games, chasing, or riding a scooter.

Age 5-14

This is a transition period where health education begins to shift from being solely caregiver-driven to including the child as an active participant.

• Curriculum-based Learning: School-based programs are vital. Educational resources, such as those from “Food a Fact of Life,” provide free, curriculum-linked materials to teach children about food origins, cooking skills, and balanced nutrition. This helps students develop a love for healthy food and the skills to cook nutritious, low-cost meals (Food a Fact of Life, 2025).
• Physical Activity and Screen Time: Education should promote the recommended 60 minutes of daily physical activity, which can be broken into smaller chunks throughout the day. This is also a crucial time to teach children about the importance of limiting screen time and engaging in active, outdoor play.
• Holistic Health: As children enter their pre-teen and teen years, education should expand to include topics like mental health, sleep hygiene, and the effects of substances. Understanding how these factors contribute to long-term healthspan is critical for this age group.

Age 15-22

Adolescence and early adulthood are periods of significant growth and independence, but also of heightened nutritional vulnerability and a potential decline in dietary quality (Heslin & McNulty, 2023). Education and up-skilling should focus on self-reliance and making informed decisions.

• Self-Management and Life Skills: Education should teach practical life skills such as meal planning, food budgeting, and preparing healthy meals. Programs can address the unique nutritional needs of this group, such as increased requirements for calcium and iron, especially for females (British Nutrition Foundation).
• Understanding Food Choices: Education should go beyond basic nutrition to include the health implications of different food choices, such as the negative effects of energy drinks, high-sugar snacks, and fast food.
• Lifelong Habits: The goal is to instil habits that will last a lifetime. This includes understanding the link between current lifestyle choices and future health, advocating for preventive care, and tackling social determinants of health.