Abstract

The objective of the study was to assess the impact of a nutrition education program for teachers to improve food knowledge, food consumption and the nutritional status of their pre basic and basic students. A quasi-experimental study was carried out, with a pre-post evaluation of food knowledge, food consumption and nutritional status. The sample was 25 teachers and 465 students in Los Andes, with 352 students as control group in San Felipe. The nutrition intervention consisted in 9 interactive workshops for teachers during 5 months, transferring the information to the students. In the experimental group there was a significant improvement in food knowledge and a decrease in non-healthy food consumption in students, compared with the control group, without changes in nutritional status. In conclusion, the intervention in teachers improved food knowledge and healthy food consumption in students. As a consequence of the short period of intervention, the nutritional status did not change. If these strategies are maintained over time and incorporated to the school curricula could achieve more significant results, in particular if parents are incorporated in school nutrition education programs.