Evaluation of the Effectiveness of Nutritional Supplement Packages on Improving School Children's Hunger, Eating Behavior and Classroom Concentration

Classroom Concentration, Dietary Diversity, Hunger

Nutritional supplement packages, Food security, Eating behavior, Cognitive performance

The goal of this intervention study is to learn whether providing nutritional supplement packs can reduce hunger at school and improve healthy eating behaviors and classroom concentration among students in grades 3-9 attending schools in remote rural areas. The main questions it aims to answer are: Does receiving nutritional supplement packs reduce hunger at school and improve healthy eating behaviors and classroom concentration after one semester and one school year compared with baseline? Is hunger at school associated with healthy eating behaviors and classroom concentration?

Backgrounds: Nutritional supplement packs (long life milk, cereals, nuts) are suggested by the Taiwan Nutrition Foundation based on the general lack of intake among people in Taiwan and taking into account the growth of children. The National Food Bank raises funds from companies and distributes them to primary and secondary school children in remote rural areas for use when they are hungry at school. This program has been implemented for almost ten years and recognized by teachers and parents. It is generally believed that hunger in school children may affect their classroom performance, but most research focused only on skipping breakfast. According to actual survey experience, schoolchildren's hunger at school is not only related to whether they have eaten breakfast, but also factors such as eating habits and high activity levels (such as school teams and after physical education classes) outside of meals. Nutritional supplement packs can be provided to students in need immediately by teachers. Aims: This study aims to investigate whether nutritional supplements are effective in improving school children 's hunger, healthy eating behaviors, and classroom concentration. Methods: The survey subjects are students in grades 3 9 who received nutritional supplement packs. A total of three self-administered questionnaires will be implemented before and after the intervention (one semester and one school year) to assess changes in eating behavior and concentration. The expected number of cases is 6 00 (will be reached within 3 years). After the indicators were quantified, paired t test was used to compare the changes before and after the intervention; linear regression was used to analyze the correlation between hunger at school, healthy eating behavior and classroom concentration. Expected results: Nutritional supplement packs can effectively improve school children's hunger, eating behavior and classroom concentration; school hunger is correlated with eating behavior and classroom concentration.

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Taiwan