Effects of a community-based nutrition education program on the dietary behavior of Chinese-American college students

Abstract

This study applied the PRECEDE model to investigate dietary predisposing, enabling, reinforcing factors and dietary behavior among Chinese-American college students with a community-based nutrition education program (Group 1), and those without the program (Group 2). A total of 218 students participated in the study. A PRECEDE instrument, including nutritional knowledge, perception of diet and health, dietary instruction, media influence, social support, and dietary behavior, was employed to collect pre- and post-test data. Students in Group 1 improved perception of diet and health, dietary instruction, social support, and dietary behavior significantly after joining the program. Although not significant, students in Group 1 improved nutritional knowledge and media influence after completing the program. These results suggest PRECEDE components are important in changing dietary behavior.