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This research investigated the effects of a nutrition education program on dietary behavior and nutrition knowledge among elementary school-aged children participating in a Social Cognitive Theory-based nutrition education program. Participants included 1100 second-grade and third-grade students selected by convenience-type sampling from public schools in Alabama. A preassessment and postassessment control group design assessed dietary behavior and nutrition knowledge using Pizza Please, a specially designed interactive evaluation tool. A 2 x 2 mixed analysis of variance was used to analyze data. Children in the treatment group exhibited significantly (p < .001) greater improvement in overall dietary behaviors such as consumption of dairy products, fruits, and vegetables, than children in the control group. Children in the treatment group exhibited significantly (p < .001) greater improvement in nutrition knowledge, including Food Guide Pyramid understanding, nutrient-food association, and nutrient-job association, than children in the control group. Results suggest that nutrition education programs that teach positive dietary messages potentially can improve dietary behavior and increase nutrition knowledge in children.
Powers et al. (2005) studied this question.
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