The Effect of an Educational Intervention Performed by Volunteers on Knowledge, Attitude and Modification of Dietary Habits among Women

Unhealthy eating habits are an important cause of Non-communicable Diseases (NCDs). One of the most effective methods to prevent these diseases is the use of health education interventions. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of educational intervention performed by Women Health Volunteers (WHV) on knowledge, attitude, and modification of dietary habits among women in Kerman.

This research was a quasi-experimental study performed on 400 women in Kerman. Participants were selected using multistage cluster sampling. Data were collected immediately before and 6 weeks after the intervention by a questionnaire, including demographic information and questions related to knowledge, attitude, and dietary habits. Data were analyzed using Pearson and Spearman correlation, paired t-test, and Wilcoxon-test in SPSS 24.

The average age of women was 41.91±12.87 years. Before the intervention, a positive and significant correlation was observed between knowledge and dietary habit (r=0.249) (p<0.001), knowledge and attitude (r=0.249) (p<0.001), and attitude and dietary habits (r=0.264) (P<0.0001). After the intervention, the mean scores of knowledge (p<0.001), attitude (p=0.017) and dietary habits (p<0.001) significantly increased.

Education provided by WHV was effective in promoting knowledge, and attitude, and in modifying the dietary habits of women. Therefore, the use of local human resources can help improve public health.