Nutrition education is a structured educational process that develops knowledge, skills, and decision-making capacities related to food, diet, and health so individuals can adopt and maintain nutritionally sound eating practices [1][2][3][4]. It includes planned learning on dietary guidelines, nutrient functions, food selection, meal planning, label interpretation, and behavior-change strategies in personal, family, school, or community contexts [1][2]. Nutrition education is characterized by evidence-based content, learner-appropriate pedagogy, and practical application aimed at improving dietary behaviors rather than only increasing factual knowledge [2][4]. In public health and educational practice, the term denotes intentional instruction for nutrition-related competence and behavior change, distinct from general health messaging that does not include structured nutrition learning objectives [1][2][3][4].
- nutrition education
- dietary behavior
- food literacy
- health promotion
References
- Contento, I. R. Nutrition Education: Linking Research, Theory, and Practice, 3rd ed.; Jones & Bartlett Learning: Burlington, MA, 2016. https://archive.org/details/nutritioneducati0000cont_o8h7.
- World Health Organization. Healthy Diet; WHO Fact Sheet; WHO: Geneva, 2020 (updated). Available online: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/healthy-diet.
- Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. School-Based Food and Nutrition Education; FAO: Rome, 2020. Available online: https://www.fao.org/documents/card/en/c/cb2064en.
- Mary W. Murimi; Michael Kanyi; Tatenda Mupfudze; Ruhul Amin; Teresia Mbogori; Khalid Aldubayan; Factors Influencing Efficacy of Nutrition Education Interventions: A Systematic Review. J. Nutr. Educ. Behav. 2017, 49, 142-165.e1, 10.1016/j.jneb.2016.09.003.