Effectiveness of environmental nutrition program on student dietary intake in boarding schools

Abstract

Background The Environmental Nutrition Program (ENP) as an environmental intervention offers voluntary involvement with students, but persists in exposure. This study aimed to investigate the effect of ENP on students’ dietary intake and nutritional knowledge. Methods A quasi-experimental study was conducted with a control school. ENP comprises four activities: the use of uniform food serving tools, nutrition fact displays, food and nutrition information displays, and body weighing awareness. The ENP emphasized voluntary involvement with students but persisted in exposure for over 8-weeks. Multiple passes of 24-hour food recall and validated questionnaires were used in the assessments by a nutritionist. Multiple linear regressions were performed to analyze the effectiveness of ENP. Results A total of 113 female high school students, with a median age of 16 years, were recruited. At baseline, all students had a lower dietary intake than the national recommendation. Except for the stipend, no differences in the characteristics were found among the students. The students’ carbohydrate intake and nutritional knowledge significantly increased after the ENP in the intervention school (p < 0.001). Total energy, protein, and fat intake also improved after ENP. Conclusion ENP activities effectively increased students’ daily carbohydrate intake and nutritional knowledge. Thus, ENP may be appropriate for enhancing nutrition literacy among female students. Future studies with a longer time frame are encouraged to yield sustained, favorable dietary practices.