Sensory Knowledge: A Basis for Healthy Living Childhood Obesity Project
K-State News Service
The goal: get sixth-graders to use their five senses to develop better food habits and lower the prevalence of obesity in children.
The plan, developed by a team of five Kansas State University College of Human Ecology students, recently won first place in the third annual Elaine Skinner Memorial Sensory Design Competition, a nationwide contest. It's the third win in the competition for K-State.
The team's winning project was "Sensory Knowledge: A Basis for Healthy Living."
Sensory evaluation is a method by which scientists evoke, measure, analyze and interpret people's reactions to foods based on the five senses. The team developed 12 lesson plans to teach the relationship between sight, hearing, smell, taste and touch and eating choices.
In one lesson, students evaluate sensory reaction on fried vs. baked potato chips, low sodium vs. regular crackers and sugar-free vs. regular gelatin.
In others, they would link physical activity and food to obesity.
Obesity is defined as being by 30 percent or more above ideal body weight. About one third of U.S. children - 25 million - are overweight or at risk of becoming overweight, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The judges found the entry comprehensive and well integrated, said Edgar Chambers IV, director of K-State's Sensory Analysis Center. He said the judges congratulated the team for creativity and on using "legitimate science to get at concrete answers."
According to the team members, the lessons are applicable to everyone, not just sixth-graders. The lesson plans also include advice for parents:
•Don't ban snacks; young children need them. Do keep fresh fruit, raw vegetables, microwave popcorn and low-fat milk or cheese readily available.
•Limit recreational screen time — televisions, computers, video games — to no more than two hours a day.
•Avoid eating in front of the television; people tend to eat more when watching the tube
•Read nutrition fact labels with your child.
•Consider serving sizes. One serving is a small handful of dried fruit, five or six baby carrots and a portion of meat the size of a deck cards
•To eat smaller portions, order small fries instead of the supersize portion and save 300 calories, and don"t eat snacks such as cookies or chips from the bag.
The students on the team, all of whom are in K-State's sensory analysis graduate program and all from Manhattan, are Alisa Doan, Aussama Soontrunnarudrungsri, Kelly Thompson, Gaewalin Oupadissakoon and Jeehyun Lee.
K-State's Sensory Analysis Center, opened in 1983, is internationally recognized for consulting, education and research.
Sensory Knowledge
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