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Effectiveness of a controlled trial of nutrition education in primary school, ZELIAKIDE project: knowledge and
Maialen Vázquez-Polo1,2, Itziar Churruca3,4, Arrate Lasa1,2
1GLUTEN3S Research Group, Department of Nutrition and Food Science, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU, Vitoria-Gasteiz, Álava, 01006, Spain.
Background:
The consumption of unhealthy foods has increased considerably in recent years and in Spain, the diet is increasingly moving away from the healthy and traditional patterns of the Mediterranean diet. The aim of this article is to assess the effectiveness of a nutrition education programme designed to increase knowledge regarding balanced diet and improve the nutritional quality of mid-morning snacks.
Methods:
A one-month school-based nutrition education programme called Zeliakide (8 sessions), aimed at children, based on previously defined competencies and learning outcomes and delivered through a STEAM methodology (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics centered methodology) was designed to be followed by the intervention group. The study was a non-randomised controlled trial with two clusters. The evaluation of the programme was carried out through pre, post and retention test questionnaires. Mid-morning snacks were also evaluated. The control group was a similar group of students, but they did not participate in any activities.
Results:
Two hundred ninety-nine children participated in the study. 155 in the intervention group and 144 in the control group. After the intervention, knowledge and behaviours related to a balanced diet improved. The mean punctuation of healthy mid-morning snacks also improved from an average of 0.6 to 0.8 on a scale of 0 (unhealthy) to 1 (healthy) (p < 0.001), although the latter decreased somewhat after one month.
Conclusion:
The Zeliakide programme was an effective nutrition education programme to promote healthy lifestyles. However, in order to prolong its impact, nutrition education programs could be consistently taught in schools over time.
Trial Registration:
The trial was registered prospectively at ClinicalTrial.gov with registration number NCT05467865 on 21 July 2022.
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