Nutrition Knowledge among College of Basic Education Students in Kuwait: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Lack of nutrition knowledge may contribute to poor dietary practices. Schools are an ideal environment to address this issue and to start the process of nutrition education. Therefore, teachers should be equipped with adequate nutrition knowledge. This study was designed to evaluate the level of general nutrition knowledge and demographic variations in knowledge in a sample of students attending the College of Basic Education in Kuwait. A cross-sectional study was conducted using a modified and validated revised version of the General Nutrition Knowledge Questionnaire (GNKQ-R) for UK adults. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to determine the association between various factors and nutrition knowledge score. A total of five hundred and ninety-seven students completed the questionnaire. Most respondents (84.1%) had a poor level of nutrition knowledge using original Bloom’s cutoff points. Sex, BMI, cooking habits, and who is responsible for preparing food in the household were the main determinants of nutrition knowledge score at p < 0.05. The mean score of the students was 40.06 ± 9.89 out of 84 points. Females scored significantly higher than males, at 41.10 ± 9.29 and 38.72 ± 10.48, respectively ( p = 0.007). Students with a BMI of ≥30 achieved significantly greater scores (mean 42.30 ± 9.41) than those who were underweight, normal, or overweight ( p < 0.001). Students who stated that they always cook their own food achieved significantly greater scores (mean 43.69 ± 9.58) than those who did not ( p = 0.025). Students who stated that they depend on the housekeeper for food preparation achieved significantly lower scores (mean 38.86 ± 10.13) than those who prepare their own food or depend on their relatives to prepare food ( p = 0.042). Poor nutrition knowledge was found among prospective teachers studying in the College of Basic Education. This must be rectified for the effective implementation of nutrition education programs in schools.

The influence of nutrition knowledge, attitude, practices, and dietary diversity on obesity among market women in the Cape Coast Metropolis, Ghana: A cross‐sectional study

“…This is unexpected because about 67% had education spanning from Junior High School to tertiary level. This result is however similar to the findings of Husain et al 36 who observed poor NK among prospective teachers studying in the College of Basic Education in Kuwait. Provision of nutrition education for the market traders may help improve their level of knowledge as published by Elmas and Arslan 37 …”

Diet Quality, Dieting, Attitudes and Nutrition Knowledge: Their Relationship in Polish Young Adults—A Cross-Sectional Study

“…It was demonstrated that nutrition knowledge was satisfactory for 34.7% of women and 40.2% of men, while it was good for 34.7% of women and 25.1% of men, respectively [ 37 ]. Other studies determined the level of their knowledge as good [ 38 , 39 ], below average [ 40 ], but also, as in our study, the nutrition knowledge was assessed as low [ 41 , 42 ]. The inconsistent results obtained in different studies may result from the field of the study, but also from the specificity of the measurement tools [ 37 , 42 ].…”

“…Other studies determined the level of their knowledge as good [ 38 , 39 ], below average [ 40 ], but also, as in our study, the nutrition knowledge was assessed as low [ 41 , 42 ]. The inconsistent results obtained in different studies may result from the field of the study, but also from the specificity of the measurement tools [ 37 , 42 ]. A higher similarity of the results was obtained from the studies that used the same tool, for example, the General Nutrition Knowledge Questionnaire (GNKQ) [ 43 , 44 ].…”

“…A higher similarity of the results was obtained from the studies that used the same tool, for example, the General Nutrition Knowledge Questionnaire (GNKQ) [ 43 , 44 ]. However, the use of the GNKQ gave distinct results in different countries, e.g., Kuwait [ 42 ] and Great Britain [ 39 ], which may confirm the importance of socio-cultural differences in determining the different results obtained. Measuring nutrition knowledge in groups with different cultural backgrounds, especially with the use of different tools, makes it difficult to compare the results between groups, but it does not negatively influence the possibility of studying the relationship between nutrition knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors.…”

Chinese residents’ knowledge about and behavior towards dairy products: a cross-sectional study

“…It was reported that women had better knowledge about nutrition than men [ 32 ]. In our study, women also had a better grasp of dairy knowledge than men, which might be associated with the fact that women pay more attention to health.…”