Cost-Effectiveness of Nutrition Education Programs for Limited-Resource Youth

Abstract Primary schools contribute to promoting healthy eating behaviour and preventing overweight and obesity by providing nutrition education. Research highlights the importance of improving teachers’ program implementation to enhance intervention effectiveness. An integrative approach has been suggested to reduce time barriers that teachers currently experience in teaching nutrition. This scoping review explores use and effectiveness of integrative teaching in primary school-based nutrition education programs. Six databases were searched for primary school-based interventions on nutrition education. Papers reporting on integration of nutrition topics within core curriculum were included. Abstracts and full texts of potentially relevant articles were screened to determine eligibility. Next, data were extracted and tabulated. Findings were collated and summarised to describe intervention characteristics, subject integration and effectiveness of the included programs. Data describing integration of nutrition into the primary school curriculum were extracted from 39 eligible papers. Nutrition education programs often involve lessons about food groups and are frequently embedded within the mathematics, science or literacy syllabus. Although articles report on the integration of nutrition, the use of this approach was not commonly described in detail. Only seven papers discussed student outcomes related to the integration of nutrition education within core subjects. The ability to draw strong conclusions about school-based nutrition intervention effectiveness is limited by the current lack of program description and methodological issues. Hence, more research is warranted to inform evidence on effectiveness of integrative nutrition education for both teacher and student outcomes. Future studies that include greater detail regarding the integrative approach are needed.

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The Effectiveness of Distance Education, Using a Blended Method of Delivery, for Limited Resource Audiences in the Nutrition Education Program

Journal of the American Dietetic Association ◽

10.1016/j.jada.2009.06.333 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 109 (9) ◽

pp. A97

Author(s):

C.E. Campbell ◽

W.M. Koszewski ◽

D. Behrends ◽

J.W. King ◽

K. Stanek-Krogstrand

Keyword(s):

Distance Education ◽

Nutrition Education ◽

Education Program ◽

Limited Resource ◽

Nutrition Education Program

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Nutrition Education Among Low-Income Older Adults: A Randomized Intervention Trial in Congregate Nutrition Sites

Health Education & Behavior ◽

10.1177/1090198105276212 ◽

2006 ◽

Vol 33 (3) ◽

pp. 374-392 ◽

Cited By ~ 12

Author(s):

Roger E. Mitchell ◽

Sarah L. Ash ◽

Jacquelyn W. McClelland

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Nutrition Education ◽

Hierarchical Linear Modeling ◽

Low Income ◽

Limited Resource ◽

Well Being ◽

Linear Modeling ◽

Randomized Design ◽

Randomized Intervention ◽

And Control

Nutritional well-being among older adults is critical for maintaining health, increasing longevity, and decreasingthe impactofchronicillness. However, few well-controlledstudies have examinednutritionalbehav ior change among low-income older adults. A prospective, controlled, randomized design examined a fivesession nutrition education module delivered to limited-resource older adults ( N = 703) in Congregate Nutrition sites by Cooperative Extensionagents. Experimentalgroupparticipantswere significantly more likely than con trol groupparticipants to increase multivitamin use, to increase calcium supplementuse, to read labels of dietary supplements, to carry a supplement and/or medication list, and to discuss such use with their health care profes sional. The study addresses weaknesses in the literature by using a theoretically derived education component, implementing the intervention within a setting regularly used by low-income older adults, employing random ized assignment to intervention and control conditions, and using hierarchical linear modeling to deal with “nested” data.

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