Abstract
D.Ed. (Education Management)
The link between dietary practices and the prevalance as well as the prevention of
various diseases have been proven beyond any doubt; the guidelines of the Prudent
Diet were subsequently put forward to reduce many of these nutrition-related risk
factors. Due to inadequate numbers, qualified nutrition educators cannot target their
efforts to reach all vulnerable groups and everybody is thus not in a position to glean
sound nutrition knowledge, enabling them to plan -healthy diets. Teachers could fill
this gap, provided they are well versed in nutritional matters. Eating habits are usually formed in chidhood but the establishment of sound practices is a dynamic life-long process. Exposure to accurate and convincing information could benefit eating behaviour, but incorrect nutrition messages may have a confusing and detrimental influence upon people's choice of foods. Magazines and parents are reported as the major sources of nutrition information as well as misinformation for school children and students. School subjects are seldom singled out as being of significant value. These findings suggest the dire need for teachers to be properly trained in nutrition.
Since students are notoriously ignorant on nutrition related issues and tend to follow
a typical but often poor diet, this study aimed at determining the effect of a nonformal
consumer orientated nutrition education programme on the nutrition knowledge
and eating habits of student teachers at the Rand Afrikaans University (RAU). All the
students in the 1993 Didactics class (representative of the student teachers at this
university) were selected as an appropriate target audience. Nutrition education can
only be effective and efficient if the particular needs of the target group are addressed
by means of a popular and acceptable teaching strategy. A nutrition education
programme based on the guidelines of the Prudent Diet and similar in format to
magazine articles, seemed to be an appropriate teaching method. Questionnaires were developed to collect and compare pre- and post-test information on nutrition knowledge, levels of interest, eating habits and individual queries or comments. Test questions were based on common misconceptions as responded in the literature, and food frequency questionnaires included 20 items of which prudent lowered or increased intakes are recommended. Actual and perceived nutrition and consumer knowledge scores were analyzed for sex, age, residence, sports activities, personal opinions and sources of information by means of paired t-tests. These data
contributed towards interpreting the test results, assessing knowledge needs, gauging
interest and formulating the contents and format of the learning material.