The effects of nutrition and health education on the nutritional status of internally displaced schoolchildren in Cameroon: a randomised controlled trial.

IF 2.4 Q3 NUTRITION & DIETETICS
Journal of Nutritional Science Pub Date : 2024-03-13 eCollection Date: 2024-01-01 DOI:10.1017/jns.2024.8
Mirabelle Boh Nwachan, Richard Aba Ejoh, Ngangmou Thierry Noumo, Clementine Endam Njong
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Abstract

Lack of nutrition knowledge and poor dietary practices have profound adverse implications on nutritional status particularly among displaced children. Evidence of the effectiveness of nutrition education interventions in improving the nutritional status of internally displaced schoolchildren in Cameroon is scarce. The study objective was to assess the effects of nutrition education on the nutritional status of internally displaced schoolchildren in the West and Littoral Regions of Cameroon. A pre-test-post-test randomised experimental study design was used with an experimental and control group of 160 children from ten primary schools and their caregivers. Anthropometric, biochemical, and clinical signs of malnutrition, dietary, and health status of the children were evaluated, and the caregiver's nutrition knowledge was assessed in both groups at baseline and end-line with the aid of standard anthropometric and biochemical equipment and recorded in pretested questionnaires. Nutrition education was carried out only with the caregivers of children in the test group. In the test group, significant beneficial outcomes were noticed only for Bitot's spot (p = 0.047), pallor (0.025), frequency of consumption of fruits (p = 0.002) and vegetables (p = 0.036), caregiver's nutrition knowledge (p = 0.000), all health-seeking practices of the children (p < 0.05) except immunisation (p = 0.957). No significant change was seen in any of the parameters studied among the participants in the control group. Nutrition education alone was not effective in improving the nutritional status of the children and should be implemented together with other food-based nutrition interventions to improve the nutritional status of internally displaced schoolchildren in the West and Littoral Regions of Cameroon.

营养与健康教育对喀麦隆境内流离失所学童营养状况的影响:随机对照试验。
缺乏营养知识和不良的饮食习惯对营养状况有着深远的不利影响,尤其是对流离失所的儿童而言。有关营养教育干预措施在改善喀麦隆境内流离失所学童营养状况方面效果的证据很少。本研究旨在评估营养教育对喀麦隆西部和滨海地区境内流离失所学童营养状况的影响。研究采用了前测-后测随机实验研究设计,实验组和对照组分别由来自 10 所小学的 160 名儿童及其看护人组成。借助标准的人体测量和生化设备,对两组儿童的人体测量、生化和营养不良的临床表现、饮食和健康状况进行了评估,并在基线和终点线对看护者的营养知识进行了评估,同时将评估结果记录在预先测试的问卷中。营养教育只针对试验组儿童的看护人进行。在试验组中,只有比托氏斑(p = 0.047)、苍白(0.025)、食用水果(p = 0.002)和蔬菜(p = 0.036)的频率、看护人的营养知识(p = 0.000)、儿童的所有健康行为(p < 0.05)(免疫接种(p = 0.957)除外)有明显的有益结果。对照组参与者的任何参数都没有发生明显变化。营养教育本身并不能有效改善儿童的营养状况,因此应与其他基于食物的营养干预措施一起实施,以改善喀麦隆西部和滨海地区境内流离失所学童的营养状况。
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来源期刊
Journal of Nutritional Science
Journal of Nutritional Science NUTRITION & DIETETICS-
CiteScore
3.00
自引率
0.00%
发文量
91
审稿时长
7 weeks
期刊介绍: Journal of Nutritional Science is an international, peer-reviewed, online only, open access journal that welcomes high-quality research articles in all aspects of nutrition. The underlying aim of all work should be, as far as possible, to develop nutritional concepts. JNS encompasses the full spectrum of nutritional science including public health nutrition, epidemiology, dietary surveys, nutritional requirements, metabolic studies, body composition, energetics, appetite, obesity, ageing, endocrinology, immunology, neuroscience, microbiology, genetics, molecular and cellular biology and nutrigenomics. JNS welcomes Primary Research Papers, Brief Reports, Review Articles, Systematic Reviews, Workshop Reports, Letters to the Editor and Obituaries.
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