Goal-setting and volitional behavioural change: Results from a school meals intervention with vitamin-A biofortified sweetpotato in Nigeria

Abstract

Malnutrition, particularly vitamin A deficiency, is a major public health problem in many developing countries. This study investigated whether priming or self-generation of goals, or whether attention to instrumental or experiential goals together with use of a reminder condition or not, promotes dietary behaviour intentions and change. A set of 556 randomly selected children aged 7–12 in Osun state, Nigeria, participated in an four-week intervention and field experiment in which a meal based on orange-fleshed sweetpotato, rich in pro-vitamin A, was introduced on five occasions as a complement to the existing school meal. Baseline intentions, anticipated feelings and repeated measures of post-consumption and experience were assessed. The analyses included a generalised linear mixed model for consumption and a linear mixed model for feelings and experience. The results confirmed that attention to instrumental goals undermines goal pursuit, while a focus on experiential goals increases the persistence of pursuit. Priming of experiential goals should be recommended, especially because this approach evokes positive feelings after eating. There was no evidence of an effect from repeated pairing of goals with the school meal, but use of planning by stating intentions increased the amount eaten. These results have implications for how school meals programmes should be designed to better align personal motivation with behavioural change in relation to dietary health.

Effectiveness of school-based nutrition interventions in sub-Saharan Africa: a systematic review

“…Nutrition behaviour. Of the seven studies (34,42,44,(47)(48)(49)(50) on this outcome, only two (47,48) reported a positive impact of SBNI on nutrition behaviour. Improvement in nutrition behaviour such as less sugar intake or more consumption of fruits and vegetables was primary measures in studies that assessed this outcome.…”

“…Interventions that were evaluated in our analysis were mainly school-based nutrition programmes focusing on supplementation of school meals with micronutrients and/or assessment of the effects of micronutrients on nutrition status of schoolchildren (36)(37)(38)42,43,45,46) . Others assessed the impact of school nutrition education with/without physical activity programmes on nutrition knowledge, dietary intake patterns and nutrition status (34,44,(47)(48)(49) . Some papers also focused on promoting healthy dietary choices (36,38,42,44,48,49) .…”

“…Others assessed the impact of school nutrition education with/without physical activity programmes on nutrition knowledge, dietary intake patterns and nutrition status (34,44,(47)(48)(49) . Some papers also focused on promoting healthy dietary choices (36,38,42,44,48,49) . None of the included papers specifically provided details on educational, policy or SBNI involving partnership with parents/community in their results.…”

“…All included studies assessed child nutrition status or nutrition KAB, either as primary or secondary outcomes. All but four of the studies (44,(47)(48)(49) reported on anthropometric status. Three studies assessed cognitive outcomes through cognitive tests (37,43,50) .…”

“…Three studies assessed cognitive outcomes through cognitive tests (37,43,50) . Nutrition behaviour outcomes were assessed in seven studies (34,42,44,(47)(48)(49)(50) , and nutrition knowledge was reported by only three (34,44,47) . Intervention duration varied from 3 weeks (47) to 3 years (34) .…”