1.Do school-based nutrition interventions improve the eating behavior of school-age children?
Nesrianne G. BUYCO ; Julieta B. DORADO ; Glenda P. AZAÑA ; Rowena V. VIAJAR ; Divorah V. AGUILA ; Mario V. CAPANZANA
Nutrition Research and Practice 2022;16(2):217-232
BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES:
Filipino children aged 6–10 yrs are consuming poor quantities and quality of food based on the 2013 Philippine National Nutrition Survey. During these years healthy eating habits must be formed through family influence. Within this background, a complete package of nutrition intervention—feeding and nutrition classes, was pilot tested in selected schools to determine 1) changes in nutrition attitude and behavior and 2) food intake of schoolchildren after the intervention.
SUBJECTS/METHODS:
A quasi-experimental design was used in the study. School children aged 7–9 yrs enrolled in selected Philippine public elementary schools and their mothers/ caregivers were the study participants. Profile and socio-demographic data were collected from each participant at baseline. The nutrition behavior and food intake of children were determined using the modified Child and Diet Evaluation Tool (CADET) and the 24-h food recall form, respectively. Data were analyzed using Stata version 15.
RESULTS:
No significant differences in characteristics were found among the 339 childmother pairs in the 4 study groups. The modified CADET recorded improved mean attitude scores of children ranging from 22 to 24 points at endline in the group receiving both lunch feeding and nutrition education classes (group 3). The perceived better behavior of children was reported by their mothers in terms of increased intake of milk and vegetables and decreased consumption of sugar. These improvements were supported by the actual food intake of children obtained from the 24-h food recall.
CONCLUSIONS
Family involvement, particularly of mothers/caregivers, appeared to be an important factor in shaping the children's eating behavior. An intervention package with lunch feeding and nutrition classes resulted in a substantial improvement in children's behavior and actual food intake with increased levels of vegetables and milk while lowering sugar consumption. The adoption of the intervention package in public elementary schools should therefore be pursued.
2.Government-Industry-Academia Alliance: A multisectoral collaboration for improved nutrition of children and well-being of mothers
Divorah V. Aguila ; Julieta B. Dorado ; Mario V. Capanzana
Malaysian Journal of Nutrition 2023;29(No.1):63-75
Introduction: Consistent with the Sustainable Development Goal 17
highlighting partnership to achieve development, this study demonstrated
the convergence among government, industry and academe in carrying
out a nutrition intervention to improve the nutritional status, knowledge,
attitude and behaviour of school community (school children and mothers).
Methods: A school-based intervention study comprising of school lunch
feeding and nutrition lessons was conducted. Quasi-experimental design
was used in the intervention research. Data were analysed using Stata
12.0. Descriptive statistics were generated using the survey module (svy) of
Stata. The food and nutrition intervention mix composed of the governmentpartner School Feeding Programme (SFP) and the nutrition education
campaign. The government-partner SFP involved lunch feeding of 7 to 9
years old students based on the standardised Pinggang Pinoy® recipes. The
government-partner nutrition education component involved teaching of the
developed modules to students and their mothers. Results: The intervention
resulted in improvements in nutritional status, knowledge, attitude and
behaviour of students. Investing an average of Php 15.00 or USD 0.29 (as
of 2017) in a school feeding programme following the government-partner
food and nutrition intervention mix improved nutritional status and shifted
the number of underweight children to normal nutritional status by 25.3%
after 120 feeding days. This intervention was implemented through a multisectoral collaboration during the pre-implementation, implementation,
and post-implementation phases of the study. Conclusion: Partnerships
among stakeholders provided the context towards healthier children as
demonstrated by improved nutritional status, knowledge, attitude and
behaviour of participants.