EFFECT OF A STRUCTURED NUTRITION EDUCATION INTERVENTION ON NUTRITIONAL KNOWLEDGE AND IRON BIOAVAILABILITY AWARENESS AMONG ANAEMIC ADOLESCENT GIRLS

Abstract

Background: Iron-deficiency anaemia remains a major public health concern among adolescent girls, with inadequate dietary practices and limited knowledge regarding iron-rich foods and factors influencing iron bioavailability contributing to the problem. This study evaluated the effectiveness of a nutrition education intervention in improving nutritional knowledge and awareness of iron bioavailability among anaemic adolescent girls.

Methods: A three-month multimodal nutrition education intervention was conducted among 243 anaemic adolescent girls aged 16–18 years from rural and urban colleges of Panchkula district, Haryana, India. The intervention comprised lectures, interactive discussions, booklets, posters, pamphlets, practical demonstrations and question–answer sessions. Nutritional knowledge was assessed before and after the intervention using an expert-reviewed and pre-tested structured questionnaire covering three domains: balanced diet; sources and conservation of nutrients; and therapeutic nutrition.

Results: The mean overall nutritional knowledge score increased significantly from 8.75 ± 2.42 at baseline to 21.52 ± 2.84 following the intervention, with a mean gain of 12.77 points (95% CI: 12.31–13.23; p < 0.001). Significant improvements were observed in balanced diet (3.68 ± 1.48 to 7.26 ± 1.22; gain 3.58), sources and conservation of nutrients (2.92 ± 1.34 to 7.49 ± 1.32; gain 4.57), and therapeutic nutrition (2.15 ± 1.15 to 6.77 ± 1.28; gain 4.62) (all p < 0.001). The normalized knowledge gain was 0.60. No significant differences in knowledge gain were observed according to socio-demographic characteristics. Greater absolute knowledge gain was observed among participants with lower baseline knowledge (r = −0.637, p < 0.001).

Conclusion: Structured multimodal nutrition education substantially improved nutritional knowledge among anaemic adolescent girls, particularly regarding therapeutic nutrition, nutrient sources and conservation, and dietary factors influencing iron bioavailability. Incorporating targeted nutrition education into adolescent health and anaemia-control programmes may strengthen dietary awareness and support appropriate food practices for improving iron nutrition.