Impact of nutrition education on awareness, attitude and practice regarding black rice among faculty members: A pre post intervention study

Abstract:

Black rice (Oryza sativa L.) is an anthocyanin-rich functional food known for its antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and health-promoting properties. Despite its nutritional benefits, awareness regarding black rice remains limited among many population groups. Nutrition education is considered an effective approach for improving awareness and encouraging healthier food choices. The present study evaluated the impact of a structured nutrition education intervention on knowledge, attitude and practice (KAP) regarding black rice among university faculty members. This pre-post intervention study was carried out among 70 faculty members of Bhagat Phool Singh Institute of Higher Learning (BPSIHL) and Bhagat Phool Singh Mahila Vishwavidyalaya (BPSMV), Haryana, India. A baseline assessment of awareness was done using a structured online KAP questionnaire. The nutrition education intervention program involved lecture, discussion, demonstration of black rice recipes and distribution of a black rice recipe booklet. Another assessment after intervention was done using the same questionnaire. Descriptive statistics and paired t-tests were employed in data analysis. Improvements were observed in all the domains of KAP after the intervention. Knowledge scores rose from 34.7% to 89.7% which corresponds to a gain of 55.0%. Scores of attitudes improved from 53.2% to 95.6% with a gain of 42.4%. There was also an improvement in practice scores which went up from 22.0% to 64.5%, indicating a gain of 42.5%. The computed t-values ranged from 10.8 to 12.3. This study revealed that nutrition education intervention can help increase the awareness, attitudes and intended practice of black rice consumption. Nutrition education interventions on traditional nutrient-rich foods could help in diversification of dietary patterns.