Effect of Pedagogical Tools for Fostering Nutritional Knowledge in School-Aged Children in Pathum Thani Province, Thailand

Teerapap Teerapap; Sujarinee Sangwanna; Weerasak Seelarat

Authors

Teerapap Teerapap Division of Nutrition and Dietetics, Faculty of Science and Technology, Valaya Alongkorn Rajabhat University under the Royal Patronage, Khlong Luang, Thailand. Email: teerapap_p@rmutt.ac.th
Sujarinee Sangwanna Division of Food and Beverage Innovation for Health, Faculty of Science and Technology, Valaya Alongkorn Rajabhat University under the Royal Patronage, Khlong Luang, Thailand. Email: sujarinee@vru.ac.th
Weerasak Seelarat Division of Food and Nutrition, Faculty of Home Economics Technology, Rajamangala University of Technology Thanyaburi, Khlong Luang, Thailand. Email: veerasak@vru.ac.th

Keywords:

Board games, School-aged children, Pedagogical tools, Nutritional knowledge, Thailand

Abstract

Background: In Thailand, there is a projected annual increase in childhood obesity at a rate of 6.2% from 2020 - 2035. The emphasis on effective interventions, particularly well-planned, behavior-focused nutrition education, has substantially enhanced children's behavior and health indicators. Therefore, it is important to develop appropriate nutritional education methods to help maintain the good health of school-age children.

Objective: This study aims to assess the effects of various pedagogical tools in enhancing the nutritional knowledge of school-aged children in Pathum Thani Province, Thailand.

Materials and methods: This study employs a quasi-experimental research design and was conducted among 126 school-age children aged 8-12 years in Thailand. Data were collected from March 2020 to October 2021.

Results: After implementation of the pedagogical tools, the scores increased in all three groups. While there was no statistically significant difference in nutritional knowledge scores among the three groups before using the tools, the scores postimplementation varied significantly. Notably, the board game group exhibited was significantly different from the booklet group and the control group (p < 0.001). The satisfaction scores for pedagogical tools indicated that board games and booklets received ratings ranging from moderate liking to very liking across all the parameters.

Conclusion: Pedagogical tools led to a noteworthy increase in nutritional knowledge scores for all groups, particularly the board game group. These findings underscore the efficacy of innovative pedagogical tools, especially board games, in enhancing nutritional knowledge among school-age children.

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