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Kwon, Han, and Kim: Evaluation of a Nutrition Education Program for 3rd Grade Elementary School Students
Original Article
Korean Journal of Community Nutrition

Korean Journal of Community Nutrition 2011; 16(2): 183-194.

Published online: 30 April 2011

DOI: https://doi.org/10.5720/kjcn.2011.16.2.183

Evaluation of a Nutrition Education Program for 3rd Grade Elementary School Students

Duk Ha Kwon, Sung Nim Han1, Hye-Kyeong Kim2

Nutrition Education, Graduate School of Education, The Catholic University of Korea, Bucheon, Korea.

1Department of Food and Nutrition, Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea.

2Department of Food Science & Nutrition, The Catholic University of Korea, Bucheon, Korea.

Corresponding author: Hye-Kyeong Kim, Department of Food Science & Nutrition, The Catholic University of Korea, 43-1 Yeokgok 2-dong, Wonmi-gu, Bucheon, Gyeonggi-do 420-743, Korea. Tel: (02) 2164-4314, Fax: (02)2164-4314, hkyeong@catholic.ac.kr

Received 17 February 2011       Revised 21 March 2011       Accepted 30 March 2011

Copyright © 2011 The Korean Society of Community Nutrition

Abstract

This study examined the effects of a nutrition education program on nutrition-related knowledge, eating habits, and dietary behavior. Subjects were 3rd grade elementary school students in Anyang, Gyeonggi-do. A 5-week nutrition education program was implemented to 28 children and another 26 children were included in the study as a control group. A self-administered questionnaire was used to assess the effects of nutrition education program. Mean nutrition related knowledge score was improved after education (p < 0.001). There was a significant improvement in knowledge of nutrient source (p < 0.05), role of protein (p < 0.05), food tower (p < 0.001), getting information from nutrition labeling (p < 0.05), and proper way of snacking (p < 0.001). Eating habits and self-efficacy also tended to improve by nutrition education, especially eating habit of snack and self-efficacy on balanced diet reached significant improvement (p < 0.05). Food consumption frequency was not changed significantly, only consumption of sea weeds which is considered as a reluctant food among children was increased after education (p < 0.05). In addition, the number of leftover food items and total amount of leftover at school lunch reduced significantly after education when compared with the same 10-day menu prior to education (p < 0.01). This result suggests that unbalanced dietary behavior has been changed with the nutrition education program. In conclusion, the nutrition education program was found to be effective in improving nutrition-related knowledge, eating habits, and dietary behavior.

Keywords: elementary school children, nutrition education, nutrition-related knowledge, school lunch leftover

Figures and Tables

Table 1
Summary of nutrition education program
kjcn-16-183-i001
Table 2
General characteristics of the subjects
kjcn-16-183-i002

*: p < 0.05

1) N (%)

2) Mean ± SD

3) Obesity status by BMI percentiles for age: Underweight: < 5th percentiles, normal: 5th~85th percentiles, overweight: 85th~95th percentiles, obese:= 95th percentile

Table 3
Comparison of nutrition-related knowledge before and after receiving nutrition education
kjcn-16-183-i003

*: p < 0.05, **: p < 0.01, ***: p < 0.001 by paired t-test

†: p < 0.05, ††: p < 0.01 by t-test (group difference)

1) Mean ± SD

2) Possible total score ranged from 0 - 13 points, each item was scored (1=correct or 0=incorrect)

Table 4
Comparison of eating habits before and after receiving nutrition education
kjcn-16-183-i004

*: p < 0.05, **: p < 0.01, ***: p < 0.001 by paired t-test

†: p < 0.05, ††: p < 0.01 by t-test (group difference)

1) Mean ± SD

2) Possible total score ranged from 10 - 30 points. Each item was scored (3 = yes, 2 = often, 1 = no) and item 3, 4 ,5, 7, 8, 9, 10 were scored reversely

Table 5
Food consumption frequency before and after receiving nutrition education
kjcn-16-183-i005

*: p < 0.05 by paired t-test

†: p < 0.05 by t-test (group difference)

1) Mean ± SD, Each food item was scored by 5 scales (7 = every day, 5.5 = 5~6 times a week, 3.5 = 3~4 times a week, 1.5 = 1~2 times a week, 0 = rarely)

Table 6
Comparison of self-efficacy before and after nutrition education
kjcn-16-183-i006

*: p < 0.05 by paired t-test

1) Mean ± SD

2) Possible total score ranged from 10 - 50 points. Each item was scored by 5-point scales ranging from 'strongly agree' (5) to 'strongly disagree' (1)

Table 7
Comparison of school lunch leftover between control and educated groups
kjcn-16-183-i007

*: p < 0.05, **: p < 0.01, ***: p < 0.001

1) Mean ± SD

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