Project Title
Healthy Eating: It’s not just about eating apples! Developing programs for preschool children,
primary and high school students on healthy eating.
Role and Organisation
Australia Food and Grocery Council’s main mandate is to develop specific nutritious
programs for different age groups in the community (Bevans et al., 2011). The focus of their
programs is directed towards promoting healthy eating. There are organisations are concerned
with developing and implementation of nutritious programs across various settings ranging from
schools to elderly homes and hospitals. In this case, the healthy eating programs to be developed
are to be implemented in schools (Department of Health and Aging, 2008). The organisation is
under the Department of Health and Ageing and its workforce is majorly composed of nutrition
officers who are extensively experienced in matters of developing and implementing healthy diet
programs that target children.
Project Summary
In this project there will be development of a pilot program for various schools sampled
in a particular state in Australia. The criteria for this selection of the schools is to be included in
Healthy Eating 2
the healthy eating project re that, they must have all the levels of schooling; preschool, primary
school as well as high school. The aim of the program to be developed is to introduce a new diet
method that is nutritious to the children going to school. Prior to the beginning of the project
there will be elimination of all confounding variables with potential to influence the program.
The confinement of the program will be strictly to boarding schools to ensure a significant
reduction of confounding variables interference. In addition, the focus of the new diet
implementation will be in the incorporation of a balanced diet in all three meals during the day
for three meals. All the participating children will have their weights taken and recorded prior
and after the program. This will be followed by a physical check-up on all children prior and
after the study in order to ensure that the changes caused by the program are assessed. The
grouping of all the children will be based on their ages. Another group of children not
participating in the study will be taken as a control where the collection of data will be done in
the children of the same age group.
Project goal
To provide the students, at preschool, primary and high school level with adequate
nutrition to foster their progress in terms of academics.
Project objectives
- To design programs that ensure students have access to three square meals in a single
day. - To develop programs that ensure students have access to proteins, carbohydrates,
vitamins, and fats (a balanced diet) in the morning, lunch hour and the evening. - To design programs that ensure students have access to regular exercise to shed off
extra weight. - To create awareness of the programs amongst the stakeholders and make sure they
are educated on their importance and how they impact their nutritional status. - To perform frequent monitoring and evaluation of the students participating in the
pilot program to allow for speculation of its progress (in terms of implementation)
and impact.
Healthy Eating 3
Project Rationale
Patterns and trends of healthy eating habits at childhood and adolescent play a vital role
in promoting optimal growth among school going children (Burns, Bentley, Thornton &
Kavaanagh 2013). Sahota (2014) noted that these patterns are fundamental in intellectual
development among the children in addition to promoting their growth. Additionally, these
patterns also determine the development of modern day health problems such as anaemia, dental
caries, and overweight, obesity, among other eating disorders (Slusser, Prelip, Kinsler,
Erausquin, and Thai& Neumann 2011). This may also be critical in influencing prevention or
reduction of health problems that are long term including stroke, cancer, diabetes, hypertension,
and cardiovascular diseases (Denney-Wilson, Harris, Laws & Robinson 2013; Wilson,
Campbell, Hesketh & Sanigirski 2011). As a result, developing healthy eating school programs
can help school going children to achieve good health as well as their optimal educational
potential (Wilson, Campbell, Hesketh & Sanigirski 2011).
In the world over, people have depicted poor health because of poor eating habits which
have in turn led to poor nutritional status (Ballam 2016). Individuals with weak states in terms of
their nutrition will also depict declining health. This is attributed to the fact that their immunity
will deteriorate significantly to the extent that they will be unable to fight off diseases (Peyer et
al. 2016). When students are involved, their poor eating habits will cause them to develop
nutrition-related conditions that will hinder their academic progress. Schools in this community
have exhibited poor food programs for their students, yet they demand remarkable academic
performance from their students.
Young people are very needy when it comes to their nutrition. Considering that they are a
growing bunch, they need more nutrition than an average individual. According to researchers, in
the early years through to adolescence, a person experiences growth spurts (Niermann et al.
2015). For them to maintain the required growth phase, a child has to have access to enough
food. It is notable that the food required should not be the empty calories full of fats and
carbohydrates. This is because access to too much of the calories could result in catastrophic
illnesses that are medically considered to be terminal. Some of these diseases included diabetes,
obesity, heart diseases and even fatty liver (Lamari et al. 2014). Such conditions are bound to
make the life of these students tough especially when it comes to learning.
Healthy Eating 4
Healthy eating programs in schools play an important role in ensuring that healthy eating
habits are promoted among school children. This is attributable to the fact that, dietary factors in
these school based programs are essential in ensuring that there is substantial reduction of
premature deaths caused by nutrition related illness in countries such as Australia (Grube
Bergmann, Herfurth, Keitel, Klein, Klitzing & Wendt 2013). In fact, the Department of Health
and Aging advocates for schools to develop a nutrition health promotion for all students from
pre-school and 12 th grade. National Health and Medical Research Council abbreviated as
NHMRC is in the forefront in encouraging all schools across Australia to introduce and teach
healthy eating and nutrition matters in their educational system such as a nutrition subject
(Department of Health and Aging, 2008) . The two organisations are fully aware of the
imperative role in developing healthy eating among small children.
On the same note, children in the preschool, primary, and high school levels of education
are still incapable of making healthy choices on their own (Dedaczynski and Boye 2015). It is
the responsibility of the adults including the parents and teachers to ensure that their students
have a healthy life while at home and school. A child at the preschool age would opt for the
sweeter foods neglecting the natural, and nutritious foods like the vegetables which improve their
health. Other students at the high school level are at the adolescent stage where they are
conscious of their body images and would, in turn, forgo meals to maintain their body shapes
(Niermann et al. 2015).
In the nation today, obesity is one of the greatest public concerns, and this affects the
schools and the children learning in these institutions (Zayed et al. 2016). According to statistics,
one of every three children is either overweight or obese, and this stresses the significant
disregard of proper nutrition in our everyday lives. Good health is the ultimate way to increase
the lifespan of people and cannot be achieved by providing medicine for diseases alone. The lack
of nutrition for children in communities is leading to increasing food insecurity and hunger for
children at school. Further statistics assert that 16.7 million children reside in households that go
without food for some days of the week throughout the year. This further emphasizes the need
for healthy eating programs for children at schools.
For a child to develop as required, it is essential for the parents and teachers to be aware
of the necessity of all the meals, that is breakfast, lunch, supper and snacks in between meals
(Olsen et al. 2015). Following a good night’s rest, it is essential for a child to have breakfast.
Healthy Eating 5
This is because the child is probably hungry and this will present a challenge for him or her to
concentrate in the classroom the rest of the day. Therefore, a bowl of cereals, milk and some fruit
could serve as an excellent starter for the child. At school, the children have access to the school
canteen which provides a variety of choices for the child. But because a child opts for the
sweeter foods that are high in energy and low in other nutrients, it is essential for a helping hand
to be there to assist in picking the desired foods. Therefore, the school programs, once initiated,
will provide healthy choices for the children by limiting the highly processed, sugary, fatty and
salty foods which would make a small portion of the diet.
A number of health and nutrition programs that are school based have a high potential of
improving dietary habits and practises among young persons in childhood and adolescent phases
of growth in order to deal with a wide range of health issues often affecting them. A good
example is the school feeding program initiated by the Obama administration to provide the
young children at school to meet their nutrition needs (Townsent, Murphy and Moore, 2011).
According to Just and Price (2013), some of the eating patterns that manifest unhealthy trend
among most children include undernutrition, obesity, iron deficiency anaemia, as well as being
overweight. Wilson, Magarey and Masterson (2013) stated that under nutrition has the potential
of causing a lasting negative influence on cognitive development of children as well as their
respective school performance. In addition, undernourished children are believed to be likely of
attaining lower scores or grades in school setting, especially when the test is related to languages
((Bevans, Sanchez, Teneralli & Forrest 2011). Furthermore, school children who are hungry and
undernourished have compromised immune system which makes them vulnerable to infections
meaning that such children have a more likelihood to miss school and this can subsequently have
a significant negative influence on their performance in (Denney-Wilson et al., 2013).In addition,
a significant number of such children have low concentration in class because of their low
energy levels and also show increased levels of irritability(Denney-Wilson, Harris, Laws &
Robinson 2013; Wilson, Campbell, Hesketh & Sanigirski 2011). As a result, most of such
children miss school and fall behind curriculum compared to other children, especially those
coming from poor backgrounds (Bevans, Sanchez, Teneralli & Forrest 2011). Some reports from
the health department in the Australia indicate that millions of children suffer from hunger over
the course of years while in school (Department of Health and Aging, 2008). Dudley, Cotton and
Peralta (2015) conducted a study in some Australia schools on school children coming from
Healthy Eating 6
schools located in low income areas whereby health programs led to improved standardised
scores as well as a reduction in school absence rates and tardiness among school children. The
health program envisaged to be developed will ensure that children across various settings will
grow well mentally as well as physically. In addition, children across varied settings have a high
likelihood of suffering from mineral deficiency, especially iron deficiency which subsequently
leads to anaemia. This means that such a health program has the potential to prevent or eliminate
some of the associated health deficiencies that are not easy to detect in general populations
(Denney-Wilson, Harris, Laws & Robinson 2013; Wilson, Campbell, Hesketh & Sanigirski
2011).
These kinds of health programs aim to address another major problem that affect the
health and nutrition of children across pre-school, primary and high school levels. Overweight
and obesity rates have also been noted to be increasing exponentially among school children
across schools in Australia. For instance, it has been noted that the current prevalence rates have
doubled among school children aged between 6-17 years over the past three decades (Tran,
Ohinmaa, Johnson, Veugelers, 2014).Such high obesity levels are associated with sedentary life
as well as increased intake of junk foods and animals that have high cholesterol levels, which are
directly related to cardiovascular diseases. As a result, increased physical activity and balanced
diets have the potential to effectively address this health problem. Thus, this health programs are
aimed at ensuring that such health issues are dealt with through increased awareness as well as
appropriate physical activity methods(Tran, Ohinmaa, Johnson, Veugelers, 2014).
Townsend, Murphy and Moore (2011) stated that eating disorders in adolescents in most
cases commonly begin at adolescence whose eating behaviours are influenced by moodiness,
depression, low self-esteem, negative body image compared to other age groups. As a result, the
program will involve creation of awareness and motivation to avoid negative eating habits.
Guidelines for use by nutritional management will also be developed in this program outlining
the required food proportions of a balanced diet including carbohydrates, proteins, fats as well as
other important components of a balanced diet including vitamins, fibre, water and minerals.
While at school, it is essential for the child to access some mid-morning and afternoon
snacks to keep up the energy to propel him or her throughout the day (Nigg et al. 2016). It is also
notable that too much food could make a child sleepy during the afternoon classes. However, a
properly treated child with access to just the right amounts of calories will be fueled to go
Healthy Eating 7
through the day. In this sense, some snacks would provide the child with some needed energy. It
is, however, important to note that the snacks should be a limited resource for the child
considering that at the young age, he or she might prefer the sweeter foods over the nutritious
meals meant for them (Ross and Melzer 2016). If this is not done, the outcome would be that the
child will not eat nutritious foods, become overweight or even obese, lots of money spent on
snacks and the child will disregard healthy eating habits.
At the preschool and primary school age, children exhibit swings regarding their appetite
for food which is related to the level of activities they are involved. A child with no physical
activity on their schedule will have almost no desire for foods (Mareno 2015). Also, considering
that some of the nutritious foods might not be appealing to some of them, these children will
avoid eating at all costs (McGill et al. 2015). In this sense, the children will have to be exposed
to some snacks in between their meals.
As mentioned before, obesity is one of the greatest public health concerns in the
contemporary society (Tzu-An et al. 2016). This issue affects the children because they are the
ones who frequently opt for the junk foods in the fast food chain restaurants as opposed to home
cooked meals. The worrying factor is that children could eat the junk food frequently (Olsen et
al. 2015). For the young minds, it is understandable because they might be ignorant of the health
impact of such foods. On the other hand, the teenagers ignore the information they are provided
and continue to consume foods. This leads to another critical component of these school-based
healthy eating programs which are aimed to fight obesity among the school going children
(Tchoubi et al. 2015). The healthy eating programs have the exercise and activity part where all
children will have time to work out.
Children experiencing growth spurts will tend to eat more than they require because of
their needy nature. As such, these children, if not taken care of, will become overweight, and
these programs will not have achieved any of its objectives (Chai et al. 2016). The plans will
involve the students having time in the early evening before being released, to work out and
exercise in a bid to improve their health and frame in general. Every student will be involved in
an activity regardless of health status. In other words, those with a health problem or conditions
such as physical disabilities will be provided with activities suited for them (Hohman and
Mantinan 2014). The exercise would be a good way to ensure that students can maintain or
regulate their body weights.
Healthy Eating 8
This healthy eating program which has been proposed in this project is aimed at
providing all the fundamental elements of a balanced and nutritious diet. As a result, healthy
program is highly essential at ensuring that balanced diets are implemented in all schools across
the three levels because of their potential to protect the school going children against diet related
diseases. In turn, the children will benefit from improved health and their optimal potential
academically and physically. The effect of developing and implementing healthy eating
programs in schools might have the greatest impact among small children in preschool and
primary school, especially during the respective development and growth phases. Once full
implementation of such programs has been achieved it is highly likely that the children will grow
and develop healthily. In addition, more awareness on healthy program will be created among
the children.
The Gantt chart
Project
Activities
Time in Weeks
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16
Conduct
Project
Scoping
Write training
packages
Training
Develop
Evaluation
Tools
Arrange
Program
Locations
Scope for
Participants
Eligibility of
participants
Invite
Participants
Progress
Check
Training
Healthy Eating 9
Package
Create
Timetable For
Nutritional and
Academic
Assessments
Implementatio
n of The Pilot
Program
Perform
Academic
Assessment
Perform
Nutritional
Assessments
Write
Evaluation
Report
Deliver Report
to Stakeholders
Assignment 2 Project Proposal
Stakeholder identification and analysis
A stakeholder refers any individual who has an interest in any aspect of a business
(Angrave, 2015). It may be a single person, groups or even organizations and the operation of the
business affects them. In this sense, a stakeholder refers to all the people involved in the success
of this healthy eating program. They include the teachers, parents, community leaders,
participating students and the project team.They were identified following the stakeholder
analysis of the project. Stakeholder analysis refers to the process of pointing out individuals and
groups that are affected by the activity of a business. The identified parties are then sorted based
on how the stakeholders’ actions impact will have on the business. They all have a stake in this
project and its successful implementation would lead positive outcomes their way.
Teachers
Healthy Eating 10
Teaching is an essential component of many Australian societies considering that they
have an integral role in developing and cultivating the young minds (Barlow 2011). Students
might have skills and talents but without the nurturing hand of the teacher, they will have a bleak
future (Barlow 2011). In this sense, teachers are essential in this program. They can nurture and
assist the students participating in the program motivating them to be integrated fully in the
program. It is also in their best interest that the students go through the program successful. This
is because the students developing healthily will increase academic performance as opposed to
the under-nourished ones. Therefore, a teacher would be more grateful to teach bright minds
rather than struggle with hindered and distracted ones. In this sense, the teachers will be on board
with the pilot program so that their students can have a chance at better performance in schools.
Their power over the students can also serve to align them towards the achievement of this pilot
project’s objectives.
Parents
They are among the influential members of the stakeholders because of the power they
have over the students. In the development phase for children, it is recognizable that parents are
among the forces that shape the morality for their children. This implies that the input from the
parent is important. They form the section of stakeholders who will determine whether their
children could participate in the healthy eating program. Because of the power they have, an
education program will be initiated to inform the parents of the project implementation in the
selected schools. The program will not only request their permission regarding the involvement
of their children but also teach them on its merits. Regardless, the parents will be appreciative of
this study because of the numerous health benefits the program provides to the beneficiaries
Healthy Eating 11
(students). In this sense, those parents with a difficulty in feeding their children will have an
easier time because of this project.
Community leaders
They are considered to be the gate keepers of the community and they include the shire
president or mayor. They are a powerful advocate force for the program because they are in
control of the local amenities and environment and once they are included in the loop, they will
inform everyone in the area of the program. Even though their actions are aligned with the
national guidelines, they act locally. As part of the training program, they will be educated on the
program implementation and benefits so that they would inform others in the area.
Students
They are the most important in the study because they are the main participants in the
program. This project encompasses the ethical component where they are given the opportunity
to reject participation. Therefore, they will be educated and informed on what they are to do
while in the program as well as the benefits of this program. Most of the students will be up for
the program because the healthy eating program provides them with not only healthy foods but
also well-cooked meals. Because of their ages, students will not pass an opportunity to have a
chance for good meals considering that young people still need energy to maintain their growth
spurts.
The project team
Without them, the project cannot be implemented. This is because the project team is the
main human resource available with the technical know-how on the implementation and
adjustments necessary to successfully go through with the projects. There are many aspects of
Healthy Eating 12
the program that need to be installed hence their involvement allows them to be a very critical
component.
Stakeholder identification and analysis
Stakeholder
Name
Project
Role
Stakeholder’s
Interests in the
Project
What does the
Project Need
from the
Stakeholder?
Interests
Analysis
Power
Analysis
Parents Stakeholder The project will
provide healthy
meals for their
children at no costs.
They are required
to provide their
children with the
necessary support
to go through the
program.
High Low
Teachers Stakeholder Healthy students
perform well and
actively in the
classroom.
They are meant to
assist the students
to understand the
importance of the
program.
High Medium
Community
Leaders
Stakeholder The program will
serve to improve the
community in terms
of health and
academic
performance.
They are to create
awareness
throughout the
community
informing parents
and other
concerned parties
of the program and
how they could be
involved.
Medium Low
Students Participants Their participation
determines the
They are to be
involved in the
High Low
Healthy Eating 13
progress and success
of the whole project.
program whole-
heartedly.
Project team
members
Team
Member
Their coordination
and skills ensure
appropriate
implementation
within the designated
time frame.
They are to employ
their project
management skills
to ensure the
successful
implementation of
the project. Also,
they are to provide
the necessary
training of the
involved parties.
High High
Budget and Procurement
Another important component of this project is the budget allocation which describes the
expenditure of this program. The budget is essential as it assures the stakeholders of the proper
use of the money allocated to the project. It also screams accountability and considering a
successful implementation in the sampled schools, it can be adopted throughout the education
system. Among the stakeholders, there are those who provide the capital for initiating such a
program and they require a complete breakdown on how their money is being utilized towards
the realization of their shared dream. Money is important and once it is misused, the stakeholders
lose their hope and trust in the program making it even more difficult in completing the project
within the stipulated time.
The budget for this program has several components and as such categorized into two key
distinctions, employee compensation and other expenses. Employee compensations refers to the
all those factors affecting the hired persons in the project such as salary, benefits, and incentives.
Healthy Eating 14
The other expenses category on the other hand covers all the remaining aspects of the project.
They include the training and seminars fee, legal fees, office expenses (supplies), insurance and
travelling expenses. Following the budget for the healthy eating program, the total expenses
accumulated to $1,210,000. Employee expenses totaled to $380,000 while the other expenses
summed up to $830,000. It is however notable that the budget is for the selected time period
ranging from the implementation to monitor and control of the project. The table below provides
the budget breakdown more clearly.
Expenses Amount ($)
Employee Compensation
Salary $ 200,000
Bonus and Commissions $ 80,000
Employee Incentive $ –
Employee Benefits $ 100,000
Temporary Labor $ –
Total Salary and Benefits $ 380,000
Other Expenses
Seminars & Training
Training the trainers $ 100,000
Seminar for teachers $ 100,000
Seminars for parents in the community $ 100,000
Consulting Fees $ 80,000
Legal Fees $ 300,000
Other Professional Fees $ –
Contracted Services $ –
Recruitment $ 200,000
Advertising
Brochures $ 40,000
Posters $ 20,000
Advertising $ 20,000
Marketing Materials $ 50,000
Healthy Eating 15
Travel & Entertainment $ –
Office Expense $ –
Telephone $ –
Computer Lease $ –
Repairs & Maintenance $ –
Utilities
Food Materials $ 50,000
Cooking Equipment $ 200,000
Office Supplies $ 50,000
Dues & Subscriptions $ –
Office Rent $ –
Postage $ –
General Insurance
Public Liability Insurance $ 100,000
Professional Indemnity Insurance $ 100,000
Taxes & Licenses $ –
Software Licenses $ –
Total for Other Expenses $ 1,510,000
Total Expenses $ 1,890,000
Assumptions and Risks
Strategies are put in place to ensure that risks are avoided at all costs. The great fear
behind risks in project management lies in the fact that they are usually accompanied with
consequences which might even cripple the progress of the project. An assumption on the other
hand refers to the factors in the project that are deemed to be true without the requirement of
proof and very essential in the planning purposes. In any project, assumptions are made to enable
proper achievement of the objectives.
Resource assumptions
The most common assumption in any project is the resource assumption and this can be
any of the items utilized in a bid to complete the project. In the implementation of the healthy
eating program, the primary resource assumptions made are labor and the materials necessary to
complete the project. Resources are usually limited and such an assumption might have profound
Healthy Eating 16
effects on the completion of the program. The human resources overtly states that individuals are
required to work 40 hours in the day shift (Angrave 2015). This is an approximate 8 hours in a
day. The material on the other hand covers the other resources like computers, the internet,
energy and stationary. They have to be adequate and such an assumption is made from the basis
of the budget.
Student permission assumption
Several aspects had to be assumed to allow this project to be successful in the long run.
Also, it has been assumed that the parents of the students selected for the pilot program will be
able to make room and support the children without any setbacks. For those students who will be
going back home, the program assumes that they follow the strict protocols from the healthy
eating program. As such, they will not deviate from the set objectives.
Safety risk
On the other hand, there is one risk that is associated with the program even though
means will be taken in order to reduce it. Because all the meals are prepared together, the issue
of clean environments in the kitchen while preparing the meals is boggling. The cooks have to
ensure that they are clean at all times while in the kitchen where they will be provided with clean
apparels to wear during the cooking procedures. The equipment used to make the food will also
be cleaned severely after every meal to ensure that all the disease-causing germs and bacteria
have been scrubbed off (Ross and Melzer 2016).
Success Criteria
In order for this project to be successful, it has to be able to reach the desired outcome. In
this sense, after the three months set, the students should not only be depicting improving
nutritional statuses but also academic progress. As mentioned before, low performance has been
associated with students with poor nutritional statuses. This does not only imply those students
with low nutritional statuses (underweight students) but also those with over-nutrition.
Malnutrition refers to having inadequate or more than the required amount of nutrients leading
health conditions (Barbosa et al. 2015). Therefore, as students depict criteria that would enable
them to exit the program, they will be well nourished and their parents or guardians provided
with more information on how they will ensure that their children should be feeding as per the
healthy eating program guideline.
Ethics
Healthy Eating 17
The project will provide the students the choice to participate in the program voluntarily.
This will be achieved where students will be educated on how the program works, its benefits to
their health and more importantly, on their academic performance. Soon after, they are provided
with contractual documents with an ethical consent note that provides them with the opportunity
to make informed choices regarding their involvement in the pilot project. As such, the student
will not be punished for not participating in the program. All students regardless of their health
status will also be provided for in the program in line with their nutritional needs. In this sense,
everyone will have an equal opportunity to participate in the program. In order to ensure child
safety, the project team leader will constantly report to the stakeholders following the mandatory
reporting laws of Australia. Apart from the project team leader, other mandatory reporters
include the teachers.
Monitoring and Control
The final and equally component of this program would be monitoring, evaluation, and
control. Control refers to the regular assessment of the program in line with its objectives to
check whether its implementation is going as planned. It allows the stakeholders to know
whether every aspect of their program has been successfully and correctly implemented (Banna
et al. 2016). The best control strategies for this pilot project will involve the use of a key
performance indicator (KPI) will be employed where the students’ performance will be evaluated
constantly. Coupled with the evaluation which will be carried out twice, as the program goes on
(mid-term evaluation) and after the designated period after successful implementation (end-term
evaluation), the monitoring will involve repeated assessment of the students and the workers
responsible for the running of the pilot project. The mid-term review will be carried to assess the
progress of the program as set out by the objectives (Banna et al. 2016). The end-term
evaluation, on the other hand, will be carried out after the implementation in order to assess the
impact of the program. One month after the implementation of the pilot program, the students
will be involved in a nutritional assessment followed by assessment exams in order to provide an
outlook of the general progress. The nutritional assessment will involve the collection of the
students’ weight and height data after the designated period. The weight value will then be
divided by the squared value of the students’ height in order to achieve their body mass indices
Healthy Eating 18
(BMI), a representation of their nutritional statuses. It is also notable that the project team leader
will head the entire monitoring and control.
Constant monitoring of the project is necessary in order to check whether the
implementation is going as scheduled and planned, and to ensure that the objectives are
achieved. As such, the program instituted a monitoring component where a checklist will be used
to reassess the achieved and to be achieved aspects of the program implementation. Also, after
the achievement of a major milestone, a review will be underway to ensure that it is in line with
the desired outcome after the three months period. For example, after the training of the workers,
they will be subjected to an assessment to review the skills they have acquired from the process.
In terms of evaluation, the program has instituted two sessions, one when the project is
mid-way and the other after the project is successful. The ultimate outcome desired for this
project is to ensure that the students depict improved nutritional statuses, and increasing
academic performance. Nutrition has been associated with an improved outcome and till that is
achieved, the project cannot be installed anywhere else. Therefore, the nutrition assessment
component will be present for this project. This implies that the students’ nutritional status will
be evaluated in terms of their body mass indices (BMI) which is calculated from their weight and
height. Most students should be in the normal category whereas the remaining put through the
program to ensure that they improve nutritionally. Because of the association with academics,
the students’ performance has to be critically appraised. Therefore, the students will be put
through assessment tests that will be charted in order to monitor their progress. As such, the
performance before joining the program will be assessed to measure the program’s impact. Also,
the chart should continually go up after the implementation of the program implying that they are
improving academically.
Handover and Evaluation
After the program has been implemented in the target schools, the students will go
through for another three months so as to appreciate the changes in the students’ health changes.
The end term evaluation will therefore be done after the three months that the students have to be
Healthy Eating 19
in the program. As such, the nutrition assessment will be included in the final report considering
that it will be assessing its impact. This will be achieved through the calculation of the students’
BMI and the results compared to the standards that have been set by the World Health Program
(WHO). The results of this evaluation procedure will inform the stakeholders the impact of the
project influencing the final decision. Academic performance will be covered every month after
the successful implementation and the results charted. Results from each evaluation will be
included in the report assessing the impact further.
Project scope
The Problem
Many schools have tried to introduce the health component in the menus they provide for
their students in schools. Regardless, it has proven to be very expensive and difficult to manage
the choices that children make about their meal options. As such, students have continually
depicted poor performances, and despite the efforts of the stakeholders, no changes have been
realized. The world is increasing becoming aware of the impact of nutrition on the lives of
human beings. Poor nutrition has been associated with lifestyle diseases, and this has been shown
to decrease the concentration power of young minds (Nigg et al. 2016). According to a survey
performed in the US, close to 17 million children comes from a household that experiences
hunger some days in a week throughout the year. The purpose of this proposal is to provide a
means to ensure that the young children of preschool, primary and high school age have access
to adequate meals while they are in session.
Objectives
Specific
The set objectives for the healthy eating program are indeed specific considering that they
have specified what they are to achieve (Jung 2007). For example, the first program goal is to
ensure that the school children from the sampled schools have at least three square meals in a
single day. This will be achieved via program components that aim to ensure that they have
breakfast, lunch and evening meals coupled with some snacks during the day (Lara et al. 2016).
Measurable
Healthy Eating 20
Given the layout of the program, the objectives can be measured effectively. This is
achieved through the monitoring and evaluation component of the healthy eating program. The
students’ nutritional status will provide an indication of the impact of the program. In this sense,
the outcome after the designated three weeks will provide the measure of all the objectives(Jung
2007).
Achievable
The set targets are possible following that the constraints are put at bay. Through the
support that the parents, teachers and the community as a whole will provide in the pilot
program, all the objectives could be achieved. In other words, the set-out role of every
stakeholder of this program has to be properly carried out for it to be successful. The desired
outcome is a healthy population of students with improving academic performance (Lara et al.
2016).
Realistic
The practical nature of these goals comes from the core fact that we all need our children
to eat properly. In this sense, the program will have adequate support from the parents and
teachers who would not like to see their students struggling while in school. Also, healthy eating
is an individual choice, and in the case of children with little or no ability to make healthy
choices for themselves, parents have to teach their kids about healthy eating habits (Ling,
Robbins and Hines 2016).
Time Framed
This project is time sensitive, and the set objectives cover up to three months. This is
because it is a pilot project trying to check the effectiveness of this program once implemented in
schools throughout the education system.
Healthy Eating 21
Appendices
Appendix 1: The Work Breakdown Structure
Healthy Eating 22
Healthy Eating 23
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