Incorporating nutrition topics in the primary school curricula should support the acquisition of nutrition knowledge in different ways and indirectly the development of healthy eating habits in children and teenagers. In Slovenia, nutrition education is part of all primary school education levels and may take the form of compulsory and/or elective school subjects. The main goal of the study was to find out the effectiveness of nutrition education of 6 th graders where home economics is taught as a compulsory subject in ninegrade primary schools. The sample involved 630 pupils from 28 Slovenian primary schools. The nutrition knowledge was assessed by a knowledge test at the beginning and the end of the school year. The results show that the nutrition knowledge of students significantly improved. The students who scored lower on the test at the beginning of the school year made most improvement, and the students who scored best on the same test did not improve significantly. The results show that students' knowledge and understanding of the facts about energy and nutritive values of the foods is poor. Understanding a particular nutrient's role in human nutrition, or the energy value of the foods, requires certain abstract thinking ability, which the students, due to their cognitive developmental level, find difficult. Therefore, nutrition education should be adapted to the cognitive level of students and later, in the third triad of primary school, reinforced with interdisciplinary and constructivist approach.

Purpose – Children's eating habits are influenced by numerous social and individual factors. The present study aimed to evaluate the connection between nutrition knowledge of children and their eating habits as well as their attitudes towards healthy eating habits. Design/methodology/approach – The research study included 630 11-year-old children from 27 randomly selected Slovenian schools. During the research, children attended the sixth grade of the nine-year elementary school and on average were subject to 38.6 h of mandatory nutritional contents, which are planned in the curriculum of home economics. At the end of the school year, nutrition knowledge was checked with a knowledge test consisting of 27 questions. Considering the achieved results, children were classified into three knowledge categories: low, fairly good, and good nutrition knowledge. Children's eating habits were assessed with a food-frequency questionnaire, while the five-degree Likert scale was used to assess their attitudes to healthy eating habits. Differences in children's eating habits and attitudes in reference to the category of knowledge were determined through analysis of variance. Findings – The results demonstrated that children with better nutrition knowledge have healthier eating habits and a more positive attitude towards them than children with poor nutrition knowledge. Originality/value – The study results demonstrate the link between children's nutrition knowledge and attitudes on the one hand and eating habits on the other which justifies the importance of providing formal and informal nutrition education to children.

Education for sustainable development is essential for the well-being of present and future generations and is one of the key objectives in the discipline of home economics. The purpose of this research was to ascertain whether in-service teachers of home economics recognise the opportunities to educate students about sustainable development in their courses and if they can identify the topics related to sustainable development that they can integrate into the subject of home economics. To determine this, a study using a questionnaire with a non-random sample of 89 Slovenian in-service home economics teachers was conducted. The results were qualitatively and quantitatively analysed. According to the research results, in-service home economics teachers understand that the topics of the subject promote education for sustainable development. They see the most opportunities for integrating sustainable topics arising in the fields of food and living environments, and less in economics and textiles. This is evident because sustainability topics are predominantly connected to food and the living environment classes in the current education system. Based on the research results, it can be deduced that in-service home economics teachers should be offered ongoing professional development in order to achieve the competences needed to teach sustainable development as part of the home economics subject. The need to update the curriculum of this subject has emerged as it offers numerous opportunities to educate the young in topics related to sustainable living.

The Slovenian national food consumption survey in adolescents, adults and elderly was a part of the third Slovenian national dietary survey, named SI.Menu 2017/18, with the fieldwork taken place in 2017‐2018. The methodology of the survey followed the EFSA EU Menu guidance and specifications in the contract. Individuals were randomly selected from the Slovenian Central Register of Population following a two‐stage stratified sampling procedure. Dietary survey sample was at population level representative of gender and age classes (10‐74 years old). The participation rate to the survey was 62 %. For 1319 individuals a fully completed data were collected of which 484 were adolescents, 387 adults and 450 elderly. Data collection period was divided into four quarters (3‐monthly samples) and equal distribution of all week and weekend days in order to incorporate seasonal effects and day‐to‐day variation in food consumption was employed. Information on food consumption was collected with two non‐consecutive 24‐hour dietary recalls (using the OPEN dietary software) by interviews. This was complemented with a food propensity questionnaire. In addition to food consumption data, information concerning eating habits, consumers habits, food allergy, using food supplements, on life‐style, physical activity, socio‐demographic and socio‐economic status, and health was collected. The food consumption data was also coded according to the FoodEx2 classification and will be included in the EFSA Comprehensive European Food Consumption Database. Body mass and height were measured. In addition, body composition was also measured in adults and elderly by using impedance analyser. Data from the survey will be very valuable for national risk assessments, nutritional studies, assessment of changes in dietary patterns, and the development and evaluation of nutrition or health policies.

Relevant teacher qualifications that include specialist knowledge and knowledge in didactics significantly influence the level of achievement of education goals during the teaching process. Teacher's perception of their own professional competence to teach may depend on their qualification which is linked to the education obtained. The purpose of the research was to find out how teachers who teach Home Economics in Slovenian elementary schools estimate their competence to teach Home Economics contents, in reference to their formal education. 89 teachers of 5th and 6th grade Home Economics participated in the research. They were classified according to their formal education, either in the group with completed Home Economics studies (relevant education) or in the group without these studies (irrelevant education). A questionnaire was developed for the teachers to assess their own teaching competence. The obtained data was analysed with descriptive and inferential statistical methods. Results indicated that teachers with completed home economics studies who teach Home Economics feel more competent to teach Home Economics contents than teachers without completed relevant studies. Differences in their perceptions exist in all four Home Economics modules, i.e. economics, textile and clothing, living and environment, food and nutrition. This leads to the conclusion that relevant teacher education is important for teaching Home Economics in all specialist areas of home economics education. As regards providing quality education process and achieving Home Economics education goals, the results indicate that relevant qualifications of teachers should be ensured. Teachers with irrelevant education should be provided with additional professional training. Key words: teachers' education, teachers' competencies, Home Economics, Home Economics teachers, home economics education.