Dataset Information

Effects of a comprehensive nutrition education programme to change grade 4 primary-school students' eating behaviours in China.

ABSTRACT:

Objective

As part of a national initiative to reduce child obesity, a comprehensive school-based nutrition education intervention to change eating behaviours among grade 4 primary-school students was developed, implemented and evaluated.

Design

The intervention was developed by school staff, with technical assistance from outside health education specialists. The programme included school facility upgrades, school teacher/staff training, curriculum changes and activities for parents. Student scores on nine key eating behaviours were assessed prior to and after the programme. The quality of programme implementation in the schools was monitored by technical assistance teams.

Setting

Shandong Province (high household income) and Qinghai Province (low household income), China. Three programme schools and three control schools in each province.ParticipantsStudents in grade 4 (age 8-9 years).

Results

There were significant positive changes in self-reported eating behaviour scores from pre- to post-assessment in programme schools. At post-test students in programme schools had significantly higher scores than students in control schools after controlling for other variables. The programme was more effective in the high-income province. Observations by the technical assistance teams suggested the programme was implemented more completely in Shandong. The teams noted the challenges for implementing and evaluating programmes like these.

Conclusions

This intervention increased healthy eating behaviours among 4th graders in both provinces and had more effect in the more affluent province. Results suggest that a scaled-up initiative using existing school and public health resources could change eating practices in a large population over time. The intervention also provided lessons for implementing and evaluating similar nutrition programmes.

SUBMITTER: Qian L

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6521790 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Publications

Effects of a comprehensive nutrition education programme to change grade 4 primary-school students' eating behaviours in China.

Qian Ling L Newman Ian M IM Yuen Lok-Wa LW Du Weijing W Shell Duane F DF

Public health nutrition 20190108 5

<h4>Objective</h4>As part of a national initiative to reduce child obesity, a comprehensive school-based nutrition education intervention to change eating behaviours among grade 4 primary-school students was developed, implemented and evaluated.<h4>Design</h4>The intervention was developed by school staff, with technical assistance from outside health education specialists. The programme included school facility upgrades, school teacher/staff training, curriculum changes and activities for paren ...[more]

PMID: 30616695

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Project description:BackgroundFew studies on nutrition and food safety education intervention for students in remote areas of China were reported. The study aimed to assess the questionnaire used to measure the knowledge, attitude and behavior with respect to nutrition and food safety, and to evaluate the effectiveness of a quasi-experimental nutrition and food safety education intervention among primary school students in poverty-stricken counties of west China.MethodsTwelve primary schools in west China were randomly selected from Zhen'an of Shaanxi province and Huize of Yunnan province. Six geographically dispersed schools were assigned to the intervention group in a nonrandom way. Knowledge, attitude and behavior questionnaire was developed, assessed, and used for outcome measurement. Students were investigated at baseline and the end of the study respectively without follow-up. Students in intervention group received targeted nutrition and food safety lectures 0.5 hour per week for two semesters. Item response theory was applied for assessment of questionnaire, and a two-level difference-in-differences model was applied to assess the effectiveness of the intervention.ResultsThe Cronbach's alpha of the original questionnaire was 0.84. According to item response model, 22 knowledge items, 6 attitude items and 8 behavior items showed adequate discrimination parameter and were retained. 378 and 478 valid questionnaires were collected at baseline and the end point. Differences of demographic characteristics were statistically insignificant between the two groups. Two-level difference-in-differences models showed that health education improved 2.92 (95% CI: 2.06-3.78) and 2.92 (95% CI: 1.37-4.47) in knowledge and behavior scores respectively, but had no effect on attitude.ConclusionThe questionnaire met the psychometric standards and showed good internal consistence and discrimination power. The nutrition and food safety education was effective in improving the knowledge and behavior of primary school students in the two poverty-stricken counties of China.

Project description:BackgroundPromoting pulse consumption in schools could improve students' healthy food choices. Pulses, described as legumes, are rich in protein and micronutrients and are an important food choice for health and well-being. However, most Canadians consume very little pulse-based food.ObjectiveThis pilot study sought to investigate outcomes of a teacher-led, school-based food literacy intervention focused on the Pulses Make Perfect Sense (PMPS) program in 2 high schools in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.MethodsBoth high schools were selected using a convenience sampling technique and have similar sociodemographic characteristics. The mean age of students was 16 years. The intervention comprised 7 key themes focused on pulses, which included defining pulses; health and nutritional benefits of pulses; incorporating pulses into meals; the role of pulses in reducing environmental stressors, food insecurity, and malnutrition; product development; taste testing and sensory analysis; and pulses around the world. A self-administered questionnaire was used to assess knowledge, attitudes, practices, and barriers regarding pulse consumption in students at baseline and study end. Teachers were interviewed at the end of the intervention. Descriptive statistics and the nonparametric Mann-Whitney U test were used for analysis.ResultsIn total, 41 and 32 students participated in the baseline and study-end assessments, respectively. At baseline, the median knowledge score was 9, attitude score was 6, and barrier score was 0. At study end, the median knowledge score was 10, attitude score was 7, and barrier score was 1. A lower score for barriers indicated fewer barriers to pulse consumption. There was a significant difference between baseline and study-end scores in knowledge (P<.05). Barriers to pulse consumption included parents not cooking or consuming pulses at home, participants not liking the taste of pulses, and participants often preferring other food choices over pulses. The teachers indicated that the pulse food-literacy teaching resources were informative, locally available, and easy to use.ConclusionsDespite the improvements in knowledge, attitude, and practice, pulse consumption did not change significantly at the end of the intervention. Future studies with larger samples are needed to determine the impact of PMPS on knowledge, attitude, and practice of high school students.

Dataset Information

Effects of a comprehensive nutrition education programme to change grade 4 primary-school students' eating behaviours in China.

Objective

Design

Setting

Results

Conclusions

Publications

Effects of a comprehensive nutrition education programme to change grade 4 primary-school students' eating behaviours in China.

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