The relationship between nutrition knowledge and dietary behavior among adolescents

• Main Author: Weiss, Teresa K.
• Other Authors: Friesen, Carol A.
• Format: Others
• Published: 2011
• Subjects: Nutrition.; Diet.; Teenagers > Health and hygiene.
• Online Access: http://cardinalscholar.bsu.edu/handle/handle/188470; http://liblink.bsu.edu/uhtbin/catkey/1409588

The purposes of this project were to assess nutrition knowledge and dietary behavior of adolescents, and to determine what relationship, if any, exists between nutrition knowledge and dietary behavior. A newly-developed 25-question nutrition knowledge survey was used to measure general nutrition knowledge among 287 seventh grade students in Newburgh, Indiana. Dietary behavior scores were determined by rating choices purchased in the school cafeteria over one week as to whether or not they met the Indiana S.B. 0111's definition of a "better choice" food. Results indicated low levels of nutrition knowledge (mean score 48.5%). Girls score significantly higher on the nutrition knowledge survey than did boys (51% versus 48%). The average dietary behavior score of seventh grade students was 73.8% (an average of 7.8 `better choice' foods out of every 11.4 total foods purchased over one week period). No significant relationship was found between the score on the nutrition knowledge test and the dietary behavior score (r = .06, NS). When a linear regression analysis was performed, nutrition knowledge was a more important predictor of dietary behavior than either gender or race. === Department of Family and Consumer Sciences