Eat Right, Think Bright! Nutrition Changes in 5th and 6th Grade Students

Abstract

Body image dissatisfaction has risen in recent years in children and adolescents. Changes in eating behavior can be a result of dissatisfaction with one's body. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of an intervention designed to positively impact body image and nutrition knowledge in 5th and 6th grade students. This quasi-experimental design with intervention included pre & post surveys and focus groups. Participants included 46 students, ages 10 - 12 years who were in 5th and 6th grade. All students were attending Randolph Elementary School and were recruited by their health educator. Data was collected pre- and post-intervention through Kahoot quizzes, body image surveys, and food frequency questionnaires. This 3-week intervention was based on social cognitive theory and included presentations, videos, handouts, and food demonstrations related to food groups, intuitive eating, and body image. Changes in nutrition-related knowledge, body dissatisfaction, and body image were evaluated using paired t- tests and Wilcoxon signed-rank tests. After the intervention, both student knowledge and body image significantly increased (p<0.001). A Spearman correlation was used to evaluate the association between changes in knowledge scores and changes in body image scores. No significant association was found between the two scores (p = 0.53). These results indicate that a 3-week program integrated into the school curriculum can improve body image and nutrition knowledge in 5th and 6th grade students.