Impact of My Plate-Based Education on Nutrition Knowledge of Elementary School Students in Lahore, Pakistan

Abstract

An interventional study was conducted to enhance the knowledge of school going children of seventh grade. School age is the best age to provide nutrition knowledge because at this age eating habits are being developed. Nutrition education is an approachable and effective tool for healthy living. Nutrition knowledge helps students to become aware of healthy choices and also helps to prevent the onset of different diseases. ‘My Plate’ is a tool that is used to provide knowledge to students. Every food group on My Plate has equal importance and health benefits. In this research, a self-made questionnaire was used and the knowledge of students about food groups was assessed using SPSS. The results indicated a major difference between pre-test and post-test knowledge. In introduction, knowledge student’s knowledge increased from 4% to 76.7%. Regarding grains, group knowledge increased from 25.3% to 72.6%. Regarding fruits and vegetables and proteins, student knowledge increased up to 97.3% and 90.4%, respectively. Regarding dairy products, group knowledge increased up to 84.9%.