The Effect of Mother's Training via Newsletter and Group Discussion on The Energy Intake of Preschool Children

Mothers’ training about suitable nutritional models plays an important role in the development of children’s nutritional habits. These habits may continue into adulthood and promote the individual’s lifestyle. In the present study, we aimed to compare the effects of mother’s training via newsletter and discussion group on energy intake of preschool children. This experimental study was performed on 192 mothers of preschool children. The convenience method of sampling was employed, and the subjects were randomly assigned to three groups: group discussion, newsletter, and control group. In the newsletter group, the subjects received newsletters over 4 weeks. In the discussion group, subjects were trained about the same educational content, as the newsletter group, in 1-hour classes for a total of 4 weeks; the control group received no intervention. Data collection was carried out before, immediately, and one month after the interventions, using questionnaires to measure maternal knowledge and children''s dietary intake. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 16 with ANOVA, Kruskal-Wallis, and Friedman tests. Energy intake was similar before intervention in three groups. Immediately after intervention, no significant difference was observed between newsletter (5.7±2.10) and discussion group (0.8±2.10); however, it was significantly higher, compared to the control group (P=0.015). After one month follow-up, no significant difference was observed between newsletter (5.7±2.10) and discussion group; but the energy intake in both groups was significantly higher than the control group (p=0.003). The study results showed that training via newsletters and group discussion has the same effect on children’s energy intake. Therefore, it is recommended to use newsletter as an effective and simple alternative educational method