Ki. Klepp et Bu. Wilhelmsen, NUTRITION EDUCATION IN JUNIOR-HIGH-SCHOOLS - INCORPORATING BEHAVIOR-CHANGE STRATEGIES INTO HOME ECONOMICS COURSES, Health education research, 8(4), 1993, pp. 547-554
Citations number
18
Categorie Soggetti
Public, Environmental & Occupation Heath","Education & Educational Research
A study designed to assess the effectiveness of a seventh grade social
norms and skills-based educational program was developed and implemen
ted in collaboration with home economics teachers at four junior high
schools in Bergen, Norway. Healthly eating behavior and healthy eating
knowledge were assessed prior to, and 5 and 12 months after the initi
ation of the nutrition program. Surveys including a short food-frequen
cy questionnaire and questions regarding knowledge of healthy eating w
ere administered to participating seventh grade students. A total of 4
47 students (92.0%) participated at both baseline and first follow-up
survey, while 415 (85.4%) participated at baseline and second follow-u
p. The implementation of this program demonstrated that it is feasible
to integrate curriculum activities designed to modify students' eatin
g behavior in home economics courses. Furthermore, the results indicat
ed that females receiving the intervention reported healthier eating b
ehaviors both at 5 and 12 months follow-ups. For males, we observed a
significant short-term positive effect on eating behavior as well as a
maintained positive impact on healthy eating knowledge. It is recomme
nded that future school-based nutrition education research focus on pr
oviding models for effective use and incorporation of behavioral chang
e strategies into existing school curricula.