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KMID : 0123420090140030266
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Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
2009 Volume.14 No. 3 p.266 ~ p.276
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Evaluation of a Nutrition Education Program for Elementary School Children
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Ahn Yun
Kim Kyung-Won
Ko Seo-Yeon
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Abstract
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The purpose of this study was to implement and evaluate the nutrition education program for elementary school children.
Subjects were 5th graders (n = 142) of an elementary school in Seoul, and 138 children completed four sessions of nutrition
education during March-April, 2008. One group pretest-posttest design was used to evaluate the program effectiveness.
Anthropometric measurements and measurements on nutrition knowledge, eating attitudes and eating behavior were done
before and after education. Data were analyzed using paired t-test, t-test and χ 2-test. After completing nutrition education,
body mass index (from 19.3 to 18.9), fat mass (from 10.9 kg to 10.1 kg), percent body fat (from 25% to 23.3%) of subjects
decreased significantly (p < 0.001). Percentages of overweight or obese children were 24.6% at pretest and decreased to
20.3% at posttest, although it did not reach statistical significance. Total score of nutrition knowledge increased significantly
from 11.9 (59.5/100) at pretest to 14.7 (73.5/100) at posttest (p < 0.001). After nutrition education, percentages of correct
answers increased significantly in 10 knowledge items out of 20 items. These included items such as desirable weight
control, energy requirements for boys, food groups, snack, and function of fat and balanced meals (p < 0.001). Total score
of eating attitudes increased significantly from 35.1 to 36.9 (p < 0.001). Attitude of applying nutrition knowledge to daily
life (p < 0.001), interest toward nutrition and health (p < 0.001), attitude of moderating food intake (p < 0.01), and attitude
toward eating habit and future health (p < 0.05) were significantly different between pretest and posttest. Total score of
eating behaviors increased significantly from 46.7 (possible score: 20-60) to 49.5 by nutrition education (p < 0.001).
Improvement in eight eating behaviors were noticed after nutrition education. These included eating meals slowly, eat
protein foods (p < 0.001), eating breakfast, eating meals regularly, eating meals with diverse foods, having dairy foods,
eating foods using plant oils (p < 0.01), and having grains (p < 0.05). Subjects evaluated quite positively in attractiveness
of program, understanding of program contents, helpfulness of program in improving nutrition knowledge and meal
management. Study results show that the nutrition education program was effective in improving nutrition knowledge,
eating attitudes and changing eating behaviors of children. This program can be used in nutrition education of children at
school or at public health centers.
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KEYWORD
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children, nutrition education, effectiveness evaluation, nutrition knowledge, eating behavior
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