The importance of nutrition education in Papua New Guinea - Improving the nutritional health of women and children in Papua New Guinea Case Study Teacher's Notes Student Activities As a class, brainstorm and list nutrition related diseases. Separate into pairs and divide the list evenly between pairs. Research your list of nutrition related diseases in terms of signs and symptoms, whether it is a nutritional deficiency or excess, what foods could be consumed to overcome this disease, which groups of people are most affected by this disease, whether it is common in industrialised or developing countries or both. A table such as the one below could be drawn up: Disease Signs/ Symptoms Nutritional deficiency/ excess What foods could be consumed to overcome this disease Which groups of people are most affected Common in industrialised, developing countries or both                         Present your findings to the class. Your table of information could be photocopied and distributed to the other members of the class or recorded on overhead transparencies. Read the case study and identify the nutrition related disorders in PNG. Is providing sufficient quantities of food enough to overcome these nutritional disorders? Discuss in regard to supplying sufficient quantities of food and supplying nutritionally adequate food. Investigate the nutritional concerns in your community. As a class, suggest strategies that could be implemented to overcome these nutritional disorders. What are the similarities and differences to the strategies suggested in the case study? Why do you think there is a difference? Would the case study's strategies work in your community? Discuss. Using information from the case study, create a poster that illustrates the serious state of women's and children's health in PNG. Examine the interrelationship between poverty and ill health by identifying a list of symptoms associated with poverty such as learning disabilities, blindness, learning loss, impaired brain development and lower resistance to disease. Discuss how poverty exacerbates ill health and ill health continues poverty? Draw a flow diagram to illustrate your discussion. Why is it often difficult to break out of the pattern of poverty. As a class, discuss the following statement in the case study: 'Women's important role in the family therefore means that their health status affects the health of their children, the family and the community.' Write a 250-word summary of the discussion. The Women's and Children's Health Project uses existing health staff and village volunteers. What additional support could community based organisations and churches provide these people? Do you think that this project will be successful? In small groups, discuss the statement 'Better nutrition and improved health increases children's capacity to learn and of adults to earn.' Discuss the concept of "Train The Trainer". What does this mean? What are the advantages of this program? What information is being disseminated via this program to improve nutritional health in PNG? In small groups, discuss what methods may be used to measure the success of this project. Share your ideas with the class. Do you think that success will be immediately apparent? Discuss. Reflect on what you have learnt from this unit of work. Write a summary (using words or pictures) of the key points.   Top © Commonwealth of Australia