In 2010, a newspaper article speculating about the inclusion of cooking in the Queensland, Australia, school curriculum was published. Readers were invited to post comments to a newspaper‐managed blog. Ninety‐seven posts were made. These posts (N = 97) comprise the data for this study. Data were analyzed using Leximancer to determine frequency and connection of terminology. The analysis found “cooking” to be the core concept, connected to either the “school” (formal learning) and/or to the “home” (informal learning). Content analysis determined the themes and their relative frequency. Three main themes were generated: informal food literacy learning, formal food literacy learning in schools, and formal food literacy learning in home economics. Subthemes in the formal food literacy theme included: status (should a home economics course be compulsory?), enjoyment of home economics in school), and gender (with many positive comments from male respondents). The findings of this study represent a first step in understanding the potential contribution of home economics to develop food literacy.

Objective The aim of the present study was to determine whether a 1-day basic life support (BLS) training program can significantly increase emergency response readiness for primary school children. Methods One hundred and seven children aged 11-12 years completed a program led by surf lifesaving instructors. A 50-item quiz was administered 1 week before and 1 and 8 weeks after training. Results Significant improvements were gained in knowledge of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR; P<0.001), the response sequence for emergency situations (DRSABCD action plan) and various emergency scenarios, including choking (P<0.001) and severe bleeding (P<0.001). Knowledge and understanding were retained at the 8-week follow-up. Students reported increased confidence in assisting others after training, consistent with previous studies. Conclusions A 1-day training program can significantly increase BLS knowledge and confidence to provide assistance in an emergency situation. Findings reinforce the value of school-based training that provides a general foundation for emergency response readiness. What is known about this topic? The importance and value of teaching BLS to school children is well established in the US, UK and Europe. However, in the past 20 years there has been little or no published Australian evaluation research in this area, despite thousands of training programs running each year around the country for children in first aid, CPR and water safety. What does this paper add? This paper confirms that Australian primary school children can benefit significantly from short, targeted BLS training programs that provide the basic skills and confidence for them to respond in an emergency situation. What are the implications for practitioners? The paper provides a training and evaluation framework that can be used by health educators for age-appropriate BLS programs. The study shows that making training real-world and relevant, especially having hands-on CPR practice with manikins, can address common barriers to performing first aid and CPR reported by young people.

Childhood drowning remains a serious public health problem worldwide. The Australian Water Safety Council has set as one of its highest priorities the reduction of drowning deaths in children aged 0-14 years. However, concerns have recently been raised that many students completing primary school still lack the ability to recognize potential aquatic risks, cope with emergencies or assist someone else in danger. In this study, 107 primary school children aged 11-12 completed a one day training programme led by surf lifesaving instructors. Pre, post and eight week follow-up measures showed statistically significant improvements in recognition of the red 'beach closed' flag, aquatic safety signs, how to identify a rip current and choosing the safest place to swim at a beach that included a rip current in the picture. Following training students were more willing to provide first aid assistance to family members and friends in an emergency situation. Findings reinforce the value of school-based training that provides a general foundation for aquatic safety, with the caveat that current programmes must be evaluated to ensure their content has a robust prevention focus.

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