Effect of a Health-Related Education Program on Food-Related Behaviors of Vulnerable Women in Zanjan: A Pilot Randomized Clinical Trial

The deteriorating food safety and security situation of many Iranian families, primarily due to economic challenges, has raised concerns. Education programs can solve these issues in a cost-efficient way. The current study aimed to determine the impact of an extensive education program focusing on food safety and nutrition among low-income women who are the heads of households covered by the welfare system in Zanjan City.

A total of 120 women who scored the highest levels of food insecurity were randomly divided into two intervention and control groups. The intervention group attended in six 1.5-h educational sessions focusing on improving diet quality, food security, food safety, and physical activity. Both groups filled out a researcher-designed and validated questionnaire at the beginning of the study and one month after the intervention.

The intervention group demonstrated significant improvements in scores related to diet quality, food security, and physical activity. However, no significant difference was observed in the food safety score. In contrast, in the control group, there were no notable changes in the scores of the studied factors.

The findings indicate that a comprehensive food and nutrition education program can effectively enhance the nutritional habits and food security of low-income individuals.