Interactive Nutrition Education Research Articles

Nutrition education about breakfast and healthy snacks to prevent anemia in teenagers at SMK Dharma Wanita Gresik

Gresik Regency, with its rapid industrial growth, faces a high rate of anemia among adolescents, particularly in Kebomas District. Initial studies indicate that skipping breakfast and consuming unhealthy snacks are primary contributors. This community service program aimed to increase adolescent knowledge about the importance of healthy breakfasts and nutritious snacks to prevent anemia. Through structured nutrition education, the program sought to modify adolescent eating habits. Methods included delivering interactive nutrition education materials to SMK Dharma Wanita Gresik students. Evaluation results showed a significant rise in participants' balanced nutrition knowledge, with the percentage of participants demonstrating good knowledge increasing from 6.1% to 79.6%.

Experiences and perspectives of integrating nutrition education into an exercise program for people with chronic medical conditions.

Community-based healthy eating and exercise programs are effective interventions to support some people with chronic conditions. This research aimed to explore the experiences and perceptions of participants regarding the integration of nutrition education into a successful group based exercise program for people with chronic medical conditions. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with past participants of a community based group exercise program (Health Moves) with embedded nutrition advice based in a regional area of New South Wales. A total of 60 individuals who had participated in the Health Moves program between 2017 and 2019 were invited to participate and 19 (32%) randomly selected participants consented to be interviewed. Interviews explored participants' experiences, program impacts, and barriers to sustaining changes post program. Similar concepts and patterns were grouped into themes. Four themes were identified that described the experiences with a community-based group exercise intervention with a nutrition component. The major themes evident were that Health Moves facilitated motivation (via access to health professionals, peer support, accountability, affordability); and there were challenges identified to sustaining change (including cost, comorbidities, end of program support, environmental factors); Nutrition advice was valuable for some but not for all (difficulty recalling nutrition components, superficial coverage) Practical and interactive nutrition advice is desired. Participants expressed a high degree of satisfaction with the program but require ongoing support to sustain changes post program. The position and integration of nutrition education within this exercise program was perceived by participants to be suboptimal. Increased access to practical, interactive nutrition education components may improve participant satisfaction and engagement. SO WHAT?: Key findings from this research include a desire for removal of didactic nutrition education sessions and request for increased peer support. Modifications to the program include the integration of interactive self-paced nutrition modules. Peer support partnerships are now encouraged by trainers to support ongoing motivation of participants to keep training together outside the structured exercise program and transition to managing their own exercise routine. Discussions between organisations involved about ongoing pathway/program support or reduced cost 'off peak' gym membership is underway to help with costs incurred by participants.

Effect of Interactive Nutrition and Health Education Intervention on Knowledge and Practices of Indian School Children and Their Parents

The purpose of the present study was to identify the effect of an interactive health and nutrition education intervention on the knowledge and practices of school children and their parents. An experimental-control pre-post study, wherein 246 students (10–12 years) and their parents, from two schools, were enrolled for the study and divided into experimental ( n = 121) and control ( n = 125) groups. The experimental group received an interactive health and nutrition intervention for 3 months, which included PPT’s and various games/activities. One month after the intervention period, post-data was collected from both groups, to identify the effect. Knowledge and practices regarding health, nutrition, and physical activity were studied. All the data were analysed using Microsoft Excel and SPSS-23 software. A significant change was observed in fruit ( p < .001), vegetable ( p < .05), and water intake ( p < .05) of experimental group children in comparison to the control group. Physical activity (moderate/vigorous) for 60 minutes or more increased by 21.5% among the intervention group. Knowledge change in health and nutrition parameters was also observed. A reduction in the parental practice of giving ultra-processed food to a child’s lunch box was also seen post-4 months among the experimental group. The interactive education package delivered to school children and parents had a positive impact on their knowledge and practices and can be used as a tool to tackle and prevent the increasing triple burden of child malnutrition in India. Long-term studies in terms of the Indian context are warranted.

Group-based nutrition interventions to promote healthy eating and mobility in community-dwelling older adults: a systematic review.

To identify the efficacy of group-based nutrition interventions to increase healthy eating, reduce nutrition risk, improve nutritional status and improve physical mobility among community-dwelling older adults. Systematic review. Electronic databases MEDLINE, CINAHL, EMBASE, PsycINFO and Sociological Abstracts were searched on July 15, 2020 for studies published in English since January 2010. Study selection, critical appraisal (using the Joanna Briggs Institute's tools) and data extraction were performed in duplicate by two independent reviewers. Nutrition interventions delivered to groups in community-based settings were eligible. Studies delivered in acute or long-term care settings were excluded. Community-dwelling older adults aged 55+ years. Studies targeting specific disease populations or promoting weight loss were excluded. Thirty-one experimental and quasi-experimental studies with generally unclear to high risk of bias were included. Interventions included nutrition education with behaviour change techniques (BCT) (e.g. goal setting, interactive cooking demonstrations) (n 21), didactic nutrition education (n 4), interactive nutrition education (n 2), food access (n 2) and nutrition education with BCT and food access (n 2). Group-based nutrition education with BCT demonstrated the most promise in improving food and fluid intake, nutritional status and healthy eating knowledge compared with baseline or control. The impact on mobility outcomes was unclear. Group-based nutrition education with BCT demonstrated the most promise for improving healthy eating among community-dwelling older adults. Our findings should be interpreted with caution related to generally low certainty, unclear to high risk of bias and high heterogeneity across interventions and outcomes. Higher quality research in group-based nutrition education for older adults is needed.

Students’ interests and learning venues as enablers for school-based nutrition education among adolescents in Jakarta

PurposeThis study aims to explore potential enablers for school-based nutrition education (SBNE) through adolescent students’ perceptions in Jakarta, Indonesia.Design/methodology/approachThe study conducted 15 focus group discussions (FGDs) with 6–8 students per group to gather the main data, supported by six in-depth interviews with junior high school officials and content analysis of selected schoolbooks among five schools. The FGDs were conducted to explore students’ interest in nutrition information and their exposure to nutrition education and learning experiences. To analyze the FGD responses, three steps were used: coding, categorizing and determining themes.FindingsStudents’ interest in nutrition and potential learning venues for interactive nutrition education were potential enablers for SBNE. The students’ interest in nutrition information comprised eight topics, with some different patterns by gender. Nutrition information not represented in the school books included: food fads, women’s nutrition, halal-certified food establishments and cooking. To complement the nutrition information that was not provided in school books, student club activities and school special programs were suitable settings as potential learning venues for SBNE.Originality/valueThis study is the first study exploring SBNE facilitators from students’ perspectives among adolescents in Jakarta.

The Effects of a Nutrition Education Program on Dietary Intake and Biomarkers in HIV+ Adults.

Background. People living with HIV (PLWH) have increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Dietary behavior modification may assist in the treatment of CVD, but the optimal dose of nutrition education is unknown. The current aim was to determine if a weekly 1-hour nutrition education program would improve multiple outcomes among PLWH. Methods. Participants (n = 62) were assessed on dietary intake, serum biomarkers, and physical characteristics at baseline and 3 months, and percent change was calculated. Participants were grouped into 3 attendance categories of the classes: none, fair, or good. Analyses of covariance were performed on the outcomes. Results. Calories, protein, fat, saturated fat, carbohydrate, sugar, added sugar, and glycemic load were significantly different (all P values <.05). Those who attended no class typically had increases in these variables versus those with fair or good attendance. High-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C; P = .006) and total cholesterol/HDL-C ratio (P = .083) were different, as those who attended no class or had fair attendance worsened, but those with good attendance improved. Conclusions. Several outcomes improved more so among those with good class attendance versus those with either fair or no attendance. Thus, an interactive nutrition education program may be an effective tool to help improve the health of PLWH.

Interactive Nutrition Education Results in Improved Nutrition Knowledge and Healthy Eating Practices in Middle Childhood

Nutrition education during childhood is an evidence-based effective way to foster healthy eating habits and improve health outcomes. The current study aimed to assess the effect of nutrition education on nutrition knowledge and healthy eating practices in middle childhood. The research design was Quasi Experimental Pre test-Post test Without Control Group. One school was selected on the basis of permission and 60 participants aged 6-10 years were selected conveniently. A structured questionnaire was developed by the researcher. It included demographic, knowledge and practice based questions. After the pretest interventions were administered in 3 sessions. The interventions included lecture, demonstration, several worksheets, pamphlets, home activities and interactive activities developed through review of literature. Same questionnaire was used for posttest. Complete data was available for 46 participants only, an attrition rate of 23%. Descriptive statistics, frequencies and percentages were calculated for all continuous and categorical variables using SPSS vs 20. Mean age of the participants was 7.260 years (+ 0.953). 54% were boys and 46% were girls. The post test results showed a remarkable improvement and majority of responses were correct. The participants gave 100% correct responses regarding balanced diet, milk products, green vegetables, fruits, and healthy eating. Practice about daily consumption of lentils/beans (43.5%), cereals (100%), homemade lunch (93.5%), 2 cups milk (82.6%), fruits (82.6%), and vegetables (100%). It was concluded that nutrition education can be effectively used to improve knowledge and practice of healthy eating among school going children, which in turn would result in improvement of their nutritional status.

Addressing Childhood Hunger during the Summer Months: Using Gleaned Produce for Snacks and Interactive Nutrition Education on Food Systems and Healthy Eating

ABSTRACT In the United States, 6.5 million children experience food insecurity. The purpose of this project was to evaluate the Building Blocks for Healthy Kids summer nutrition education program for low-income children. Twenty-six children ages 6–11 years participated in the six-lesson program that included snacks incorporating gleaned produce. Plate waste data indicated 55-80% of the served snack was consumed. Knowledge related to nutrition and food systems increased between pre- and post-intervention (p < .0001). At post-intervention, children reported practicing more mindful and sustainable eating practices. Overall, the program increased knowledge and improved food-related behaviors in low-income children.

Interactive Nutrition Education Is More Effective in Terms of Improved Levels of Glycated Hemoglobin in Adolescent Patients with Poorly Controlled Type 1 Diabetes - A Randomized Study.

IntroductionEffectively conducted nutrition education is one of the key elements of the therapy of type 1 diabetes. The aim of the study was to compare the effectiveness of two methods of nutrition education.Material and methodsA noninvasive interventional randomized single-blind study included 151 patients (13.7±2.2 years old) with poorly controlled type 1 diabetes, treated with the use of insulin pumps. The participants were randomly divided into two groups: a control group (C) in which informative education methods were used (a lecture) and an experimental group (E) in which interactive methods (quiz and multimedia application) were additionally applied. The concentration of glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) was the primary outcome. The secondary outcomes were: standard deviation score-body mass index (SDS-BMI), standard deviation score-systolic blood pressure (SDS-SBP), standard deviation score-diastolic blood pressure (SDS-DBP), scores of Nutrition Knowledge Survey (NKS) and indices of healthy and unhealthy diet.ResultsA marked reduction in HbA1c concentrations was observed after 3 months in group E [−0.47% (−0.77; −0.17), P<0.01; P=0.038 for the intergroup difference]. The positive effect was no longer present after 6 months. No significant changes regarding HbA1c were noted in group C at any stage of the study. After 6 months, both groups obtained better results in one part of NKS (“Blood glucose response to food”): group C [0.41 (0.15; 0.66), P<0.01], group E [0.80 (0.52; 1.08), P<0.001; P=0.042 for the intergroup difference]. No statistically significant differences between groups were noted as regards the remaining parameters.ConclusionInteractive nutrition education is more effective in terms of improved levels of HbA1c in children and adolescents with poorly controlled diabetes. However, an intensification of training frequency is recommended due to the transient effect of education.

Healthy Teaching Kitchen Programs: Experiential Nutrition Education Across Veterans Health Administration, 2018.

Traditional clinical interventions yield few positive effects on diet. The Healthy Teaching Kitchen (HTK) program implemented by the Veterans Health Administration at sites across the United States delivers interactive nutrition and culinary education, guided instruction, and social opportunities for patients and caregivers. We report HTK outcomes of veterans' self-reported acceptability, self-efficacy for dietary change, and dietary and cooking habits. The HTK program is acceptable and feasible and may empower participants to improve health.

Using Sensory Science to Evaluate Consumer Acceptance of Recipes in a Nutrition Education Intervention for Limited Resource Populations

ObjectiveThis study evaluated consumer acceptance of recipes in a nutrition education intervention and assessed participants’ intentions to change dietary behaviors. DesignStudy participants tasted and evaluated 16 recipes in the University of Georgia Food Talk curriculum using the 9-point hedonic scale and indicated their likelihood of engaging in behaviors to improve diet quality on a similar, ordinal scale. Setting and ParticipantsConvenience samples of 89 to 122 adult participants in the Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program in Georgia evaluated each recipe. InterventionEight interactive nutrition education sessions in which study participants sampled and evaluated 2 recipes per session. Main Outcome MeasuresMean scores for overall liking of each recipe and likelihood of engaging in promoted behaviors to improve diet quality were outcomes of interest. AnalysisDescriptive statistics were generated. Relationships between overall liking of recipes and intention to engage in promoted behaviors were assessed with Spearman correlation coefficients. ResultsResults showed that 13 of the 16 recipes in the curriculum met criteria for acceptable sensory quality. Overall liking was significantly correlated with participants’ intentions to engage in behaviors to improve diet quality. Notable age- and sex-related differences were identified. Conclusions and ImplicationsEvaluations of consumer acceptance may be useful in interventions designed to improve diet quality through the introduction of new recipes as improving consumer acceptance of recipes may improve program outcomes.

FP13 Nebraska Team Nutrition Pilots a Nutrition Education Intervention to Improve Childcare Providers Perceived Feasibility and Usability of the EatPlayGrow™ Curriculum

Objective There were two objectives: determine the impact of NE TN pilot project on childcare provider perceived feasibility and usability of the EPG curriculum and explore the effectiveness of NE TN pilot project on childcare provider's self-efficacy in providing nutrition and physical activity education to children in early childhood classrooms. Description NE TN adopted the EatPlayGrow™ curriculum to develop an interactive nutrition and physical activity (PA) education training program for childcare providers. Five (4 nutrition lessons, 1 PA lesson) out of 11 lessons of EPG curriculum were included in the training. An educational kit was developed including: lessons’ objectives, materials for the activities, and books suggested from the curriculum. Twenty (n = 20) childcare providers were recruited to participate in this pilot project. The recruited providers taught in (n = 5 classroom centers, n = 5 in-home day care). All participants participate in the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP). Participants were provided with the educational kits to utilize for seven weeks and were instructed to provide nutrition and PA lessons to their children in their facilities. This project shows the majority of participants were either moderately or highly confident in their ability to incorporate nutrition and PA education. Data also indicates the majority of the participants plan on incorporating at least some activities from the curriculum in their regular lesson plans. Evaluation Quantitative and qualitative methods were used to assess childcare providers’ feasibility, usability and self-efficacy in providing nutrition and physical activity education to children in their care. A survey was distributed before the training and after seven weeks of completing the training. Conclusion and Implications Interactive training is a feasible method for increasing child care providers’ self-efficacy in delivering nutrition and PA education. Interactive and hands on nutrition and physical activity curriculum training needs to be further evaluated for to determine possible outcomes in childcare settings. Grant Year 2016

THE DEVELOPMENT OF TEACHING GUIDELINE AND INTERACTIVE NUTRITION EDUCATION MODULE FOR PRIMARY SCHOOL TEACHERS

Healthy eating and daily active lifestyle is important for good health and development of school children, who are vulnerable to malnutrition which can disrupt their learning process and school achievement. On the other hand, the primary school teachers and parents can play an important role in the education and promotion of healthy eating and active lifestyle for the children. The aim of this community service program was to develop a teaching guideline and interactive nutrition education (TG-INE) module for primary school teachers. This activity was held on January – August 2018 in Bogor Agricultural University. The steps of this activity included: 1). Establishment of technical working group (TWG); 2). Review the existing nutrition education module for primary school students; and 3). Development of teaching guideline and interactive nutrition education module for teacher. The component in the TWG which were formed consists of school principals, nutrition professional society (Food and Nutrition Society of Indonesia), university staffs (Bogor Agricultural University and SAHID University Jakarta), and local government (Bogor Education Office). The TWG developed nine topics for TG-INE module, namely balance diet and my plate; active and healthy life; cereals, fruit and vegetable; protein food; limit sugar salt and fat; choosing safe and nutritious food; food label; and summary. The TG-INE module was designed colourfully and interestingly. Prior to the final version TG-INE module, it was assessed to be used by selected school teachers. In conclusion, the TG-INE module could be used by primary school teachers to educate their students on healthy eating and active lifestyle.

Reaching Food Insecure College Students Through an On-campus Interactive Nutrition Education Program

Identify and discuss strengths of and barriers to reaching food insecure college students through on-campus nutrition education programming

Effect of nutrition education and psychosocial factors on child feeding practices: findings of a field experiment with biofortified foods and different women categories

ABSTRACTDespite the efforts to promote good practices in infant and young child feeding (IYCF), the adoption of such practices has been low. Using data from a sample of 665 women, and the theory of planned behavior, we examine the effect of different types of nutrition education and psychosocial factors on the use of recommended IYCF practices. Regression results show that nutrition education and psychosocial factors have strong positive effect on the extent to which IYCF practices are used, with the latter having conflicting individual but overall positive effect. Moreover, coefficients of latter were mostly less than those of the former indicating that pschosocial factors were less important in explaining variability in usage of IYCF than the nutrition education variables. It further finds that different sets of nutrition education and psychosocial factors affect different categories of women, with interactive nutrition education approaches having a greater effect. The findings also suggest need for targeting of beneficiaries with multiple nutrition education approaches.

Assessment of an Interactive Nutrition Education Program for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder Enrolled in a Summer Camp

Assessment of an Interactive Nutrition Education Program for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder Enrolled in a Summer Camp

Farm to Summer Meal Program: Building Healthier School and Day Care Environments in Alaska

To increase acceptance of fruits, vegetables, and local seafood, to raise awareness of the importance of a healthy diet, and to increase student participation in making healthier foods available. A 2010 Women, Infants, and Children study found 41% of two to four year olds in Alaska were overweight or obese. Feeding America determined the food insecurity rate of children in Alaska to be 20.4%. A 2009 study published in Health Promotion Practice showed students who participated in garden-based learning significantly increased preference for school grown vegetables and increased willingness to try and consume locally grown food. The target audience was Alaskan children and youth enrolled at eligible sites during the 2016 and 2017 summers. Healthier environments are developed by engaging children with interactive nutrition education specific to their local food system, including growing, harvesting, and/or procuring, supported by mini-grants, VISTA service, technical assistance, and professional evaluation. Evaluation efforts build off pre/post surveys conducted in the previous grant cycle. Questions were taken from validated questionnaires within the National Farm to School Network Evaluation Toolkit. From the sixteen mini-grant recipients whom successfully completed the program, $19,000 was funded, 772 children were directly impacted, 815 children were indirectly impacted, approximately 785 pounds of fresh produce was grown, about 945 pounds of fresh produce was purchased locally or at stores for taste-testing activities and for recipe development, and all sites reported either “meeting” or “exceeding” project goals. Most site contact in 2016 was remote, which will be compared to a more hands-on approach planned for the 2017 cycle.

Workplace nutrition knowledge questionnaire: psychometric validation and application

Workplace dietary intervention studies in low- and middle-income countries using psychometrically sound measures are scarce. This study aimed to validate a nutrition knowledge questionnaire (NQ) and its utility in evaluating the changes in knowledge among participants of a Nutrition Education Program (NEP) conducted at the workplace. A NQ was tested for construct validity, internal consistency and discriminant validity. It was applied in a NEP conducted at six workplaces, in order to evaluate the effect of an interactive or a lecture-based education programme on nutrition knowledge. Four knowledge domains comprising twenty-three items were extracted in the final version of the NQ. Internal consistency of each domain was significant, with Kuder-Richardson formula values>0·60. These four domains presented a good fit in the confirmatory factor analysis. In the discriminant validity test, both the Expert and Lay groups scored>0·52, but the Expert group scores were significantly higher than those of the Lay group in all domains. When the NQ was applied in the NEP, the overall questionnaire scores increased significantly because of the NEP intervention, in both groups (P<0·001). However, the increase in NQ scores was significantly higher in the interactive group than in the lecture group, in the overall score (P=0·008) and in the healthy eating domain (P=0·009). The validated NQ is a short and useful tool to assess gain in nutrition knowledge among participants of NEP at the workplace. According to the NQ, an interactive nutrition education had a higher impact on nutrition knowledge than a lecture programme.

Effect of nutrition education on the knowledge scores of urban households with home gardens in Morogoro, Tanzania

Home gardens are an old agricultural practice playing a key role in household food security and diversity. Proximity of gardens to the home facilitates easy access to food and reduces household expenditure. Home gardens combined with nutrition education could improve household diets both quantitatively and qualitatively. The objective of this study was to assess the effect of a nutrition education intervention on families with home gardens in Morogoro, Tanzania. Two cross-sectional nutrition surveys were conducted at different time points, the baseline in October–November 2013 and endline in May–June 2014. Between the surveys, an intervention consisting of three interactive nutrition education sessions was conducted in December 2013. The study targeted forty households owning home gardens in urban areas of Morogoro municipality. Mixed methods were used to collect data, including semi-structured questionnaires for quantitative data and focus group discussions for qualitative data. The estimated marginal means showed small statistically non-significant improvements in knowledge scores for vitamin A (p = 0.145, partial η 2 = 0.065) and iron (p = 0.403, partial η 2 = 0.022). There were more positive scores observed for both nutrients at endline compared with baseline. Composite knowledge scores calculated for participants showed improvements in the category with scores between 3 and 6 points, for both nutrients. While a statistically significant improvement in knowledge scores was not observed, an increase in number of positive scores and composite knowledge scores indicate an improvement in nutrition knowledge among participants. These results show that families having home gardens and who are provided with nutrition education can improve the quality of their household diets. Nutrition education in combination with other agricultural interventions could be a potential tool to improve nutritional status and should be integrated into public health programmes and strategies.

South Dakota Team Nutrition: Building Upon a Successful Harvest of the Month Program to Create Smarter School Lunchrooms and Farm to Table Day Camps

Objective: To give SD children 2-18 years of age, the knowledge, skills, andmotivation tomake healthful eating choices. Description: Implement research-based strategies and best practices by creating smarter lunchroom environments that foster healthy food choices; providing interactive nutrition education with a focus onMyPlate, knowing where food comes from, and farm to table best practices; and promoting increased fruit and vegetable consumption through the Harvest of the Month program. Evaluation: A variety of evaluation methods will be utilized. Conclusions and Implications: Team Nutrition grants canmake a profound difference in reducing the chances of youth in SD from becoming overweight and obese. This work builds upon existing successes, collaboration at state and local levels, identified needs, and adds additional infrastructure to support sustainability. Funding: USDA Grant #CNTN-14-SD.