Effectiveness of Experiential Learning-Based Food Label Education on Nutritional Literacy and Reading Skills
https://doi.org/10.53770/medica.v8i10.1335
Keywords
Nutrition Literacy Food Labels Experiential Learning School-Age ChildrenAbstract
High consumption of packaged foods among children highlights the need for early food label education to improve nutritional literacy and healthy consumption behaviors. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of experiential learning-based food label education on nutritional literacy and food label reading skills among elementary school students. A quasi-experimental pre-test and post-test design with a control group was conducted involving 82 students in grades IV and V, with 41 students per group. The intervention group participated in direct observation of packaged foods, group discussions, food label interpretation exercises, and reflective learning, while the control group received lecture-based education. Within-group changes were analyzed using paired t-tests or Wilcoxon tests, and between-group differences were assessed using independent t-tests. In the experiential learning group, mean scores increased slightly for knowledge (7.29 to 7.49), attitude (33.24 to 33.37), behavior (27.71 to 28.51), and food label reading skills (5.41 to 5.88), with negligible to small effect sizes (d = 0.02–0.28). However, post-test scores did not differ significantly between groups across any domain (all p > 0.05). These findings indicate that experiential learning-based food label education is feasible in elementary schools but was not more effective than lecture-based education. Longer and more intensive interventions may be needed to improve nutritional literacy and food label reading skills among children.
Downloads
References
Badan Pengawas Obat dan Makanan. (2021). Peraturan Badan Pengawas Obat dan Makanan Nomor 26 Tahun 2021 tentang informasi nilai gizi pada label pangan olahan. Badan Pengawas Obat dan Makanan Republik Indonesia. https://jdih.pom.go.id/preview/slide/1313/26/2021/1000
Campos, S., Doxey, J., & Hammond, D. (2011). Nutrition labels on pre-packaged foods: A systematic review. Public Health Nutrition, 14(8), 1496–1506. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1368980010003290
Capasso, M., Califano, G., Caracciolo, F., & Caso, D. (2023). Only the best for my kids: An extended TPB model to understand mothers’ use of food labels. Appetite, 191, 107040. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appet.2023.107040
Cohen, J. (1988). Statistical power analysis for the behavioral sciences (2nd ed.). Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Cowburn, G., & Stockley, L. (2005). Consumer understanding and use of nutrition labelling: A systematic review. Public Health Nutrition, 8(1), 21–28. https://doi.org/10.1079/PHN2005666
Davis, J. N., Pérez, A., Asigbee, F. M., Landry, M. J., Vandyousefi, S., Ghaddar, R., Hoover, A., Jeans, M., Nikah, K., Fischer, B., Pont, S. J., Richards, D., Hoelscher, D. M., & Van Den Berg, A. E. (2021). School-based gardening, cooking and nutrition intervention increased vegetable intake but did not reduce BMI: Texas Sprouts – a cluster randomized controlled trial. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, 18, 18. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12966-021-01087-x
Dudley, D. A., Cotton, W. G., & Peralta, L. R. (2015). Teaching approaches and strategies that promote healthy eating in primary school children: A systematic review and meta-analysis. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, 12, 28. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12966-015-0182-8
Hersch, D., Perdue, L., Ambroz, T., & Boucher, J. L. (2014). The impact of cooking classes on food-related preferences, attitudes, and behaviors of school-aged children: A systematic review of the evidence, 2003–2014. Preventing Chronic Disease, 11, E193. https://doi.org/10.5888/pcd11.140267
Jankowski, M., & Zarnowski, A. (2022). Nutrition knowledge, dietary habits, and food labels use: A representative cross-sectional survey among adults in Poland. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(18), 11364. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph191811364
Kamarudin, S., Poh, B. K., Yahya, H. M., & Nor, N. (2025). Food label literacy among Malaysian school adolescents: A prevalence study. PLoS ONE, 20, e0324142. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0324142
Kolb, D. A. (1984). Experiential learning: Experience as the source of learning and development. Prentice-Hall.
Krause, C., Sommerhalder, K., Beer-Borst, S., & Abel, T. (2018). Just a subtle difference? Findings from a systematic review on definitions of nutrition literacy and food literacy. Health Promotion International, 33(3), 378–389. https://doi.org/10.1093/heapro/daw084
Lakens, D. (2013). Calculating and reporting effect sizes to facilitate cumulative science: A practical primer for t-tests and ANOVAs. Frontiers in Psychology, 4, 863. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2013.00863
Li, S., Zhu, Y., Zeng, M., Li, Z., Zeng, H., & Shi, Z. (2022). Association between nutrition literacy and overweight/obesity of adolescents: A cross-sectional study in Chongqing, China. Frontiers in Nutrition, 9, 893267. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnut.2022.893267
Lier, I. van, Mil, E. van, & Havermans, R. C. (2024). Long-term effects of a school-based experiential nutrition education intervention. International Journal of Health Promotion and Education. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/14635240.2024.2421557
Murimi, M. W., Kanyi, M., Mupfudze, T., Amin, M. R., Mbogori, T., & Aldubayan, K. (2017). Factors influencing efficacy of nutrition education interventions: A systematic review. Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, 49(2), 142–165.e1. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jneb.2016.09.003
Oswald, C., Adhikari, K., & Mohan, A. (2022). Effect of front-of-package labels on consumer product evaluation and preferences. Current Research in Food Science, 5, 131–140. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.crfs.2021.12.016
Pierre, C. S., Sokalsky, A., & Sacheck, J. M. (2024). Participant perspectives on the impact of a school-based, experiential food education program across childhood, adolescence, and young adulthood. Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, 56(1), 4–15. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jneb.2023.10.012
Sanlier, N., Kocaay, F., Kocabas, S., & Ayyildiz, P. (2024). The effect of sociodemographic and anthropometric variables on nutritional knowledge and nutrition literacy. Foods, 13(2), 346. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods13020346
Silva, P. (2023). Food and nutrition literacy: Exploring the divide between research and practice. Foods, 12(14), 2751. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods1214275 1
Varman, S. D., Cliff, D. P., Jones, R. A., Hammersley, M. L., Zhang, Z., Charlton, K., & Kelly, B. (2021). Experiential learning interventions and healthy eating outcomes in children: A systematic literature review. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(20), 10824. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph182010824
Vidgen, H. A., & Gallegos, D. (2014). Defining food literacy and its components. Appetite, 76, 50–59. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appet.2014.01.010
Zafar, M. Z., Shi, X., Yang, H., & Abbas, J. (2022). The impact of interpretive packaged food labels on consumer purchase intention: The comparative analysis of efficacy and inefficiency of food labels. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(22), 15098. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph192215098
Zeng, M., Zhu, Y., Cai, Z., Xian, J., & Li, S. (2022). Nutrition literacy of middle school students and its influencing factors: A cross-sectional study in Chongqing, China. Frontiers in Public Health, 10, 807526. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2022.807526
Zhang, Y., Zhang, Z., Xu, M., Aihemaitijiang, S., Ye, C., Zhu, W., & Ma, G. (2022). Development and validation of a food and nutrition literacy questionnaire for Chinese adults. Nutrients, 14(9), 1933. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu14091933
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 MEDICA (International Medical Scientific Journal)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
