Improvement of Dietary Attitudes of Elementary Students by Nutrition Labeling Education

Hyon, Seon Mi; Kim, Jeong Weon

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to improve the dietary attitudes of elementary students through nutrition labeling education. A class of fifth-grade elementary students was selected and educated for basic nutrition and reading of nutrition labeling for 8 weeks by using education materials from the KFDA. After the education, the children were subjected for the practice of reading nutrition labeling during winter vacation, and the changes in their dietary attitudes and practice were measured by using questionnaires for children and their parents along with measuring physical changes. The results were as follows: The level of nutritional knowledge was improved significantly after the education (p < 0.05). Nutrition labeling education increased the children's frequency of reading nutrition labeling from 34.2% to 57.9% while purchasing processed foods (p < 0.05), and 92.1% of the children answered that their dietary attitudes improved by nutrition labeling education. However, no improvement in physical measurements was observed after education. This result suggested that 8-week of education were not enough to show the improvement in physical measurements, and long-term and repeated education is necessary. After the education, most children answered that they recognized the benefit of reading nutrition labeling and they would read the nutrition labeling when purchasing processed foods. Parents also recognized the necessity of nutrition labeling education in school and suggested the need of nutrition labeling be easy to read. The above results suggested that nutrition labeling education is an effective way for improving dietary attitudes of children.