Desenvolvimento e avaliação qualitativa de uma proposta metodológica baseada no método intuitivo de Pestalozzi para o ensino de escolares sobre sistemas alimentares saudáveis e sustentáveis

Abstract

The stages of the food system and their relationship with sustainability have increasingly become a global concern, leading the United Nations to include issues related to food production, access, and consumption among the Sustainable Development Goals. Similarly, the Reference Framework for Food and Nutrition Education for Public Policies (MREANPP) highlights the importance of active educational practices that address the food system in its entirety and its connections with environmental, social, and economic sustainability. Moreover, it emphasizes the need to develop pedagogical resources and detailed work plans for the implementation of Food and Nutrition Education (FNE) actions. However, most published studies in the field of FNE remain restricted to the biological dimension of eating, employ limitedly active methodologies, and describe them superficially. In this context, this study aimed to develop, describe, and evaluate a methodological proposal for FNE, consisting of eight sessions, potentially replicable by education and/or health professionals for teaching about sustainable food systems to schoolchildren. The theoretical framework for the interventions was based on the Dietary Guidelines for the Brazilian Population and recent publications on food system sustainability. The main pedagogical foundation adopted was Pestalozzi’s Intuitive Method (IM), adapted to FNE practices, following the principles of the MREANPP and the guidelines of the document Principles and Practices for Food and Nutrition Education. To verify the applicability of the proposed methodology, the educational activities were implemented with third-grade classes from five municipal schools in Lavras, Minas Gerais, Brazil. The outcomes were assessed through focus groups with six children from each participating class. The information obtained was analyzed according to Bardin’s content analysis, considering the children’s knowledge of the subject before and after the interventions, as well as their perception of the teaching method employed. The initial assessment indicated that children’s understanding of the stages of the food system was limited. After the interventions, their statements revealed an expansion of knowledge, including topics such as planting methods, environmental impacts, the NOVA food classification, short and long supply chains, seasonality, and sustainable waste disposal. The children were able to correctly identify food categories, recognize additives, relate consumption to environmental impacts, and value sustainable practices such as purchasing at farmers’ markets. The method was perceived as more dynamic and participatory than traditional teaching, with emphasis on playfulness and content review, which stimulated curiosity and favored the assimilation and application of knowledge in family and school settings. The results indicated an improvement in children’s knowledge about healthy and sustainable eating, accompanied by greater critical thinking and awareness of the impacts of their food choices on health and the environment. The methodological proposal and the Intuitive Method demonstrated potential for FNE actions aimed at transforming individuals, guiding food choices, and contributing to changes in the hegemonic food system.