Effects of Nutrition Education Using Dietary Guidebook in Higher Grade Elementary Students of Jeonbuk Area / 대한지역사회영양학회지

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES: This study was conducted to examine the effects of nutrition education with a dietary guidebook for children on dietary attitude, nutrition knowledge and nutrient intakes. METHODS: The subjects were 54 higher grade elementary students (27 educated vs. 27 non-educated). The educated group was provided individual and/or group lessons (40 min/lesson/week, 4 week) using a dietary guidebook of Children developed by The Korean Society of Community Nutrition (KSCN) & Korean Food and Drug Administration (KFDA). The contents were Balanced Diet, Smart Food Choices, Cooking a Healthy Snack and Building a Healthy Body. We examined the differences in nutrition knowledge, dietary attitudes and dietary intake between the educated group and non-educated group. RESULTS: After education, the educated group improved dietary attitude, nutrition knowledge and qualitative nutrient intakes compared to the non-educated group. Specifically, among dietary attitudes, ‘taking a meal with salty and spicy food’ increased, while among nutrition knowledge, ‘functions of protein’, ‘functions of fat’, ‘foods with carbohydrates’, ‘foods with fat’, ‘foods with vitamins’, and ‘foods with minerals’ were increased. Nutrition adequacy ratio (NAR) scores for vitamin C, iron, and zinc were increased. CONCLUSIONS: Nutrition education using a dietary guidebook for children developed by the KSCN & KFDA had positive effects on nutrition knowledge and qualitative nutrient intakes. These findings suggest that nutrition education focused on personalized daily energy and nutrient requirements may improve dietary attitude and quantitative nutrient intakes of children.