Celiac Disease: Nutrition Education in Primary School

Celiac disease is a chronic immune-based intestinal pathology. Its prevalence is 1% and its incidence has increased in recent years. This disease usually causes gastrointestinal and/or extraintestinal symptoms, which can only be reduced by following a strict, lifelong gluten-free diet. In addition, the social life of people with celiac disease is impaired due to the impact of the gluten-free diet on daily activities. An adequate Nutrition Education program can improve the physical and social health of these people. Moreover, considering the high impact this disease has on the people close to the celiac patient, and due to the important role that general population has in the care and inclusion of persons with celiac disease, education should be directed to general population. Therefore, the purpose of ZELIAKIDE program is to promote Nutrition Education in general population. In particular, the specific aims are 1) to promote the social inclusion of people with celiac disease by raising awareness among the general population, and 2) to promote a balanced diet and an interest in science and research among children. ZELIAKIDE is an intervention aimed at children and focused on the school environment, and is based on Inquiry Based Learning (IBL) methodology. Inquiry-based Teaching-Learning Sequence (TLS) has been created to internalize and integrate competences related to celiac disease, gluten, gluten-free diet, balanced diet and healthy lifestyle. In addition, this TLS aims to develop scientific competence through activities that promote science and the research process. Although nutrition education programs for children have proven to be effective, it has been observed that children's interest in science has decreased. The investigators therefore aim to implement a nutrition education programme based on previous experiences that promotes science skills and stimulates children's interest in science.