Effect of nutrition education on nutritional knowledge and attitude among adolescent girls

Adolescent girls are "mother to be"; this period of life is a golden time for nutritional knowledge promotion that is an approach to dietary patterns modification. This study aimed to assess the effect of nutritional education on knowledge and attitude of adolescent girls. In this study, 315 adolescent girls in nine schools of different districts of Isfahan were categorized to two case and control groups. Before first step of education and ten days after the second step, information about knowledge and attitude were evaluated by a questionnaire. Education was performed as oral presentation, notes and pamphlet during 2 hours for 2 times with 10 days interval. Control group did not receive any interventional education. Data were analyzed by SPSS16. Before education, case and control groups did not show significant difference. But after that, knowledge score was significantly higher among case group (P < 0.0001); attitude did not have any significant change in two groups. Knowledge education with appropriate efficiency is accounted as important factor for nutritional knowledge promotion. This study showed that we can promote nutritional knowledge of adolescents by designing attractive educational programs. If programs matched with nutritional needs during adolescents and presented by good technology, its effectiveness would be obvious not only on their knowledge, but also in dietary behavior modification.