Assessment of Nutrition Label Education in Sixth Grade Elementary School Students

ABSTRACT

This study was conducted to assess the effects of nutrition label education in children. The students of three randomly selected sixth-grade classes at an elementary school participated, were classified into a control group, an indirect (written message to parents) education group, and a direct (teaching children) education group. Nutrition label education was conducted in the latter two groups but not in the control group. There were no significant differences between pretest and posttest scores for nutrition knowledge or in the dietary attitudes of the control group and indirect education group. Improvements in test scores for nutrition knowledge and dietary attitudes were observed only in the direct education group. There were significant positive changes in the indirect and direct education groups, such as selecting snacks (cookies) by considering the fat content. Moreover, after the lessons, the percentage of children who chose white milk (regular milk, calcium-enriched milk, and low-fat milk) significantly increased in the direct education group. This study suggests that conducting nutrition label education helps children improve their nutrition knowledge and leads to positive changes in dietary attitudes and eating behaviors. In particular, a direct nutrition education method is more effective than an indirect method such as a written message to parents. Therefore, it is suggested that systematic and constant 'nutrition label education' be performed by nutrition teachers in elementary schools to establish healthy eating habits based on choosing nutritious snacks and processed foods.