The Development and Evaluation of a Nutrition Education Program including Sensory and Cooking Activity to Promote Vegetable Intake among School Aged Children

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: The aim of the study is the development of nutrition education program for promoting vegetable intakes of school aged children. METHODS: After a pilot study and consultations of experts, a program (composed of five lessons) that was emphasized the sensory and cooking activities based on the social cognitive theory was developed. Specially, we focused on enhance expectation, self-efficacy, and behavioral performance through the intervention. For a outcome evaluation survey tool was developed, too. The lessons once-a-week (total five lessons) and survey (pre and pro) were conducted to 20 school aged children. RESULTS: The distribution of children was 11.5 years (mean age), boys (25%), girls (75%). Compared to pre-survey, the result of post-survey was higher scores for self-efficacy and two items out of ten items in food neophobia category. And one items out of six items (unfamiliar vegetables), three items out of ten items (familiar vegetables) showed positive result in food neophilia category significantly (P<0.1). CONCLUSIONS: The education duration was short(5 weeks) but we could observe visible changes on self-efficacy, behavior performances for cooking and intention to intake vegetables non-preferred ones previously. Continuous applying and supplementing this nutrition education program may promote intake of vegetables among children.