Evaluation of a school-based nutrition and physical activity programme for Grade 4 learners in the Western Cape province

Abstract

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of the Making the Difference programme (MTDP), an educationand activity-based intervention for Grade 4 learners at primary schools in the Western Cape.Design: This was a cross-sectional, post-intervention survey of an existing programme, using control schools as a comparator.Setting and subjects: The study involved Western Cape primary schools in the 2009 school year. Schools were randomly sampled from two regions. Four intervention (active in the MTDP) and five control (non-participating) schools (n = 325 learners) were selected.Outcome measures: The following outcome measures were assessed using an administered questionnaire to learners: learners' knowledge of, attitudes towards, and behaviour in relation to nutrition and physical activity.Results: A small but significant improvement (eating vegetables and taking lunch boxes to school) was demonstrated with regard to self-reported behaviour in relation to nutrition in the intervention group. However, this behaviour was not explained by differences in barriers to healthy eating, self-efficacy or knowledge, which were not different between the groups, or by perceived social support, which was actually significantly increased in the control group. Groups displayed no differences in physical activity or sedentary behaviour. However, the results showed a significant difference between the groups in terms of a reduction in perceived barriers to physical activity and increased physical activity self-efficacy in the active group.Conclusion: While the MTDP only had a modest effect on the self-reported nutrition and physical activity behaviour of the learners, results regarding lower perceived barriers to physical activity and increased physical activity self-efficacy were promising.

Kuwait child nutrition knowledge questionnaire: validity, reliability and use to assess Kuwaiti schoolchildren’s knowledge before and after a nutrition knowledge intervention

“…Students who received the nutrition intervention scored significantly higher than the controls the second time both groups completed the Kuwait children nutrition knowledge questionnaire. The 11.0% score increase we found is higher than scores reported in similar studies (14,19) but lower than those of others (20,21). However, it is important to note that while we delivered a presentation-focused, interactive intervention, it was just one 60-minute session.…”

“…The prevalence of childhood obesity in Kuwait is as high as 19.9% in children between 5 and 13 years of age (1) and has exceeded 30% in adolescents (2,3). Previous studies have found an association between nutritional knowledge and dietary intake, indicating that improving nutritional knowledge at an early age may help promote healthy eating patterns in children (4,5).…”

Primary School Children’s Nutrition Knowledge, Self-Efficacy, and Behavior, after a Three-Year Healthy Lifestyle Intervention (HealthKick)

“…20,29 Three primary school interventions apart from HK have been evaluated in South Africa. [30][31][32] One of these was undertaken by Jacobs et al 30 in Grade 4 learners in the Western Cape, where an existing and ongoing intervention was evaluated. Four intervention and five control schools were randomly selected from two school districts.…”

“…34 Although some school-based interventions have shown behavior change in similar age groups, 2,5,6,30,32,35 the low intensity of the intervention, the lack of significant changes in the school environment and the poor involvement of parents as described earlier 20 could have hindered children from making changes in their eating behavior. The improvement of nutrition knowledge is, however, an important achievement, and although nutrition knowledge on its own is not sufficient for behavior change, Worsley, 36 after a review of the literature, suggests that nutrition knowledge "may play a small but pivotal role in the adoption of healthier food habits.…”

A free lunch or a walk back home? The school food environment and dietary behaviours among children and adolescents in Ghana

“…Less is known about school food environments in low- and middle-income countries, especially in sub-Saharan Africa. The bulk of evidence has been generated in South Africa (Claasen et al 2016 ; Faber et al 2014 ; Jacobs et al 2013 ; Meko et al 2015 ; Oosthuizen et al, 2011 ). For example, one study highlighted a number of issues in the school food environment such as the low content of fruits and vegetables in school meals, that about a quarter of the students did not eat breakfast, and the wide consumption of unhealthy food items bought in nearby tuck shops and by vendors located in the schools (Faber et al 2014 ).…”