This research pertains to the broad study field of “Health Promoting Media Literacy Education” (Bergsma & Carney, 2008; Bergsma & Ferris, 2011) and regards in particular children's healthy nutrition (Evans et al., 2006; Tanner et al. 2008).
The purpose of this pilot study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a school-based media education intervention on the promotion of fruit and vegetables consumption to prevent childhood obesity. The target population for the study was 10-year-old Italian children and their parents. The study utilized a mixed-method approach, with a quasi experimental design (one intervention group – 27 children and one of their parents – and one control group – 33 children and one of their parents), integrated by a focus group, which is used as a key for the interpretation of the quantitative data.
Pre-test, post-test (upon completion of the intervention) and delayed post-test (after 3 months upon completion of the intervention) measured: the children's fruit and vegetables consumption, motivation, self-efficacy and parental social support related to fruit and vegetables consumption; parent motivation and social support related to their children fruit and vegetables intake; availability and accessibility of fruit and vegetables at home.
Upon completion of the intervention, a focus group was conducted with children in the intervention group, divided in three different groups. During the focus group, children were asked to express their health and media beliefs and knowledge, their ability of critical analyses and expression skills, and nutritional behavior intentions, as well as their opinions/satisfaction with the intervention.
The 10 weeks long intervention included 12 sessions on: health education, media literacy, and a health communication media-based campaign workshop during which the children created posters, newsletters and video commercials on fruit and vegetables targeted to their parents.
To test the intervention effect on the changes in outcomes of all variables, independent sample T-test analyses were calculated. The intervention was effective in increasing children’s fruit and vegetable intake (p<.05) and all psychosocial determinants (p values ranging from 0.00 to 0.04) both at immediate post-test and at delayed post-test. Parents reported increased emotional social support (p<.05) at delayed post-test.
To investigate the families raised from the focus group text, the content analysis was done. The relationship among the families was investigated with the co-occurrences analysis, from which the ability of expression - that is one of the main skills stimulated by the media education (production approach) - results in the central core of the relationship among almost all of the theoretical constructs investigated, so we could consider it the main successful factor of the intervention.
These results indicate that a nutrition and media literacy intervention may be an innovative and promising methodological approach to promote children’s healthy nutritio
