Effect of nutrition, sensory education and healthy food exposure interventions on adolescent food habits and attitudes

Abstract

Adolescents are increasingly moving away from the Mediterranean Diet (MD), raising concerns for their long-term health. Since adolescence is crucial for shaping eating habits, school-based interventions offer an opportunity to promote healthier choices. Nutrition and sensory education can influence food attitudes and behaviors, but their combined effects are not well understood. This study tested school-based nutrition and sensory education programs, alone or combined, with daily exposure to a healthy, unfamiliar snack, on Italian adolescents’ food knowledge, attitudes, and behaviour. A total of 197 students (aged 14–17) were assigned to one of four groups: Control, Nutrition, Sensory, or Nutrition and Sensory. Over four weeks, participants received targeted lessons and were offered a healthy snack each day. Data were collected at baseline, post-intervention, and at a two-month follow-up. Key outcomes included nutritional knowledge, adherence to the MD (KIDMED), food neophobia, picky eating, food choices, and acceptance of healthy snacks. Nutrition education improved nutritional knowledge and the ability to identify MD foods, with partial retention at follow-up. However, daily dietary habits showed little changes. Sensory education increased snack consumption and willingness to try unfamiliar foods. No significant changes were observed in food neophobia or picky eating. These findings highlight the value of integrating diverse, experience-based strategies into school settings to support the development of food knowledge and healthier food choices in adolescence.