Nutrition Education for Student Volunteers Using a Videotaped Folk Dance Format

Abstract

With over 204 million undernourished people and more than 10% of its population overweight or obese, India is confronting the double burden of malnutrition. The prevalence of these problems is partly attributable to low awareness of nutrition. Nutrition education is an accessible and effective tool for developing healthful nutrition-related practices. There is a wide array of teaching methods and communication tools— such as lectures, group discussions, flip charts, posters, and so on—that can be employed to impart nutrition education to the community. In this process, if young people, especially students, are given nutrition education, they can act as change agents by spreading the messages to a large segment of population. If students are community service volunteers, the benefits are likely to be greater. The National Service Scheme (NSS), a youth service program, has been in operation in Indian colleges for over 3 decades. This program aims to create social consciousness among youth and has an overall objective of holistic development through experiential exposure by way of community service. Community service programs in the NSS include adopting villages or slums and conducting awareness programs on various issues including health and nutrition, as well as rendering voluntary service for improving community living conditions. If these volunteers are given nutrition knowledge using reproducible communication methods, they can spread nutrition awareness to the community.