This study compared the effects of 12 weeks of intensive nutrition education (IE) using the 5A's behavioral change model and basic nutrition education (BE) on nutritional knowledge and nutrient intake among Korean adolescent athletes. This study included elite adolescent athletes (IE group: n = 65, BE group: n = 65) at a physical education high school in Seoul. In this prospective, randomized, controlled trial, the athletes' body composition, nutritional knowledge, nutrient intake, and self-management practices were evaluated at the beginning and end of the intervention. Both groups had increased levels of nutrition knowledge between pre- and post-test, but the change in total score for nutrition knowledge was significantly higher in the IE group than in the BE group (p < 0.001). Energy intake post-test increased significantly in the IE group (from 2,185 to 2,651 kcal/day, p < 0.001) but not in the BE group. The intake of carbohydrates, protein, and fat also increased significantly in the IE group (carbohydrates: from 298 to 352 g/day, protein: from 86 to 106 g/day, fat: from 71 to 88 g/day, all p < 0.001), but the change in the BE group was not significant. Additionally, the IE group showed a significant overall increase in vitamins and minerals compared to the BE group at post-test. Adolescent athletes in the IE group showed improved nutritional knowledge and intake compared to those in the BE group 12 weeks after the intervention.
Since chronic diseases have emerged as a major cause of death worldwide, people has been exposed to large amounts of information on healthy eating practices that are important aspects of its prevention and management. Food literacy, the functional, interactive, and critical ability to manage dietary information with the aim of improving health, is of global interest. In South Korea (hereafter Korea), there is currently a lack of food literacy research, despite its pertinence for the development of public health policies that are tailored to recipients' ability to understand and address health and nutrition issues. In this study, the research trend and policy implications of food literacy are derived through reviewing preceding studies related to food literacy in Korea and elsewhere. Existing literature on food literacy in Korea placed much emphasis on the functional ability of food literacy. Future research on the operational definitions of interactive and critical food literacy and their health effects in Korea is necessary. In addition, there is a lack of research on the development and validation of measurement tools that evaluate integrative concepts of food literacy. To accurately examine the relationships among food literacy, diet, and health, standardized measurement tools that can comprehensively evaluate food literacy frameworks for various Korean sub-population groups should be developed. Based on such future studies, an investigation of health promotion programs or policies on reducing the cognitive burden of food literacy would contribute to improving heathy eating practices in Korea.
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