Effects of Short-Term Food Additive Nutrition Education Including Hands-on Activities on Food Label Use and Processed-Food Consumption Behaviors: among 5th Grade Elementary School Students

Article information

Korean J Community Nutr. 2011;16(5):539-547

Publication date (electronic) : 2011 October 31

doi : https://doi.org/10.5720/kjcn.2011.16.5.539

Nutrition Education, Graduate School of Education, Sungshin Women's University, Seoul, Korea.

¹Department of Food and Nutrition, Sungshin Women's University, Seoul, Korea.

Corresponding author: Seungmin Lee, Department of Food and Nutrition, Sungshin Women's University, 147 Mia-dong, Kangbuk-gu, Seoul 142-100, Korea. Tel: (02) 920-7671, Fax: (02) 920-2076, smlee@sungshin.ac.kr

Received 2011 August 10; Revised 2011 October 18; Accepted 2011 October 25.

Abstract

This study evaluated effects of food additive nutrition education on food additives-related knowledge, subjective awareness, and perception and dietary behaviors of food label use and processed-food intake. The study subjects were 5th grade students attending an elementary school in Seoul. A total of 101 subjects were assigned to either education (N = 50) or control (N = 51) group, and 3 food additive nutrition education classes were implemented to the education group. Self-administered questionnaires were collected from all the participants twice, a week before and after the nutrition education to compare the changes between two groups. The food additives-related knowledge and subjective awareness significantly improved in the education group compared to the control group. The changes in perceived harmfulness and perceived necessity for taste were also detected significantly different between the two groups, with more positive changes in the education group. Dietary behaviors of checking food labels and trying to purchase processed-foods with less food additives improved in the education group at a significant level in comparison with the control group. Additionally changes in intake frequency of several processed-food items were significantly different between the groups, again in a more positive direction in the education group. The study findings showed short-term food-additive nutrition education including hands-on activities could positively modify elementary school children's food additives-related knowledge, perception, and certain dietary behaviors, stressing better settlement of in-class nutrition education within an elementary school's education curriculum.

Keywords: food additives; nutrition education; elementary school children

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Article information Continued

Table 1

Content, teaching type, and material of nutrition education on food additives

Table 2

General characteristics of subjects

1) N (%)

2) Mean ± SD

Table 3

Changes in subjective awareness of food additive usage

1) Mean ± SD

2) Yes: 1 point, No: 0 point

3) ^*: p < 0.05, ^***: p < 0.001 by t-test for difference in changes between education and control groups

Table 4

Changes in correct answers and total scores of knowledge questions on food additives

1) Mean ± SD

2) Yes: 1 point, No: 0 point

3) ^*: p < 0.05 by t-test for difference in changes between education and control groups

Table 5

Changes in perceived harmfulness and necessity of food additives

1) Mean ± SD

2) Yes: 1 point, No: 0 point

3) Necessary very much: 1 point, necessary: 2 point, not necessary: 3 point, not necessary very much: 4 point

4) ^*: p < 0.05 by t-test for difference in changes between education and control groups

Table 6

Changes in food label using behaviors when purchasing processed-foods

1) Mean ± SD

2) Yes: 1 point, No: 0 point

3) Always: 4 point, usually: 3 point, occasionally: 2 point, never: 1 point

4) ^*: p < 0.05, ^**: p < 0.01 by t-test for difference in changes between education and control groups

Table 7

Changes in weekly frequency of processed-food consumption

1) Mean ± SD (times/week)

2) ^*: p < 0.05, ^**: p < 0.01, ^***: p < 0.001 by t-test for difference in changes between education and control groups