Dietary Behavior, Functional Food, Nutrition Education
Conditions
Keywords
Nutrition education, dietary behavior, functional foods, health literacy, nutrition transition, socioeconomic inequality, health promotion
Brief summary
This study aimed to evaluate the impact of targeted nutrition education on dietary knowledge, attitudes, and practices among adults in the United Arab Emirates. A randomized controlled intervention design was used, in which participants were assigned to either a targeted nutrition education group or a general health education group. Data were collected before and after the intervention using a structured questionnaire assessing knowledge, attitudes, and practices related to functional foods. The study assessed changes in participants' understanding and behaviors following the educational intervention. The findings are expected to support the development of effective nutrition education strategies to improve dietary behaviors in the population.
Interventions
OTHEReducational intervention
The educational intervention was conducted by the authors and tailored to each group: Group 1 (Functional Food Group): This group received an educational session focusing on the health benefits, safety, and incorporation of functional foods into a balanced diet. Topics included scientific insights into functional food components, examples, and their role in disease prevention.
Sponsors
United Arab Emirates University
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
OTHER
Masking
NONE
Intervention model description
A controlled pre-post interventional study was conducted among 147 adults randomly assigned to either a targeted functional food education group or a general health education control group. KAP was assessed at baseline and two weeks post-intervention using a validated questionnaire. Due to non-normal data distribution, non-parametric statistical analyses were applied, including Wilcoxon signed-rank tests for within-group comparisons and Mann-Whitney U tests for between-group differences. Spearman's rank correlation was used to examine associations between sociodemographic variables and KAP scores
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
* age above 18 years old
Exclusion criteria
* age less than 18 years old
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Change in dietary knowledge, attitudes, and practices scores | Pre-intervention and immediately post-intervention (approximately 4-8 weeks) | Assessment of participants' knowledge, attitudes, and practices related to nutrition and functional foods using a structured questionnaire before and after the intervention. |
Countries
United Arab Emirates
Contacts
PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATORSeham M. Al Raish1 M. Al Raish
United Arab Emirates University
Outcome results
None listed