Effectiveness of Information, Education and C...

Effectiveness of Information, Education and Communication (IEC) Package on Knowledge Regarding Fast Food & Its Hazards among Adolescents

Author Name : Mrs. A. Padmavathy , Dr. S.Vijayalakshmi

ABSTRACT Food is no exception; Healthy nutritious foods have been replaced by the new food mantra –FAST FOOD! It seems to have engulfed every age, every race and the newest entrants in children. Fast food “generally refers to foods that contribute lots of calories but are of limited nutritional value. Experimental study was conducted to assess the effectiveness of information, education and communication (IEC) package on knowledge regarding fast food & its hazards among adolescents at Tiruvannamalai. A pre-experimental with one group pre-test and post-test research design was used in this study. Convenience sampling technique was adopted to select the sample. Knowledge was assessed by using structured knowledge questionnaire. The result showed that out of 60 samples the overall mean pre-test knowledge score was 7.03 with SD=2.07 and the mean post-test knowledge score was 11.43 with SD=3.55. The calculated paired “t” value is t=7.47 which shows that statistically highly significant at P<0.001 level. This study concluded that though fast foods are tasty they have low nutritive value and high calories. Knowledge regarding the significance of balanced diet and harmful effect of fast food and its hazards may help to reduce the fast food addiction.