Improving preadolescence nutritional knowledge to improve healthy life: A quality improvement project.

Being overweight or obese increases rates of cardiovascular, musculoskeletal, psychological, or social disorders (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2022). Primary care clinics have various techniques to teach nutritional and physical recommendations, but the rate of children with a body mass index ≥ 85 remains about 41% (United States Department of Agriculture, 2020). To improve a person\u27s health behavior, one must consider the effectiveness of the tools used to promote a healthy lifestyle. This quality improvement study aims to improve the nutritious food selection of pediatric patients using a nutritional intervention program that encourages changes to their dietary and physical behaviors. Method: The theoretical framework used is the Social Cognitive Theory. The study collected quantitative and qualitative data to assess preadolescents\u27 nutritional and physical status and nutritional knowledge. Participants were given a 20-min educational intervention on the 5-2-1-0 Let\u27s Go program. Results: 7 participants, aged 9 to 13, with a body mass index ≥ 85, participated in the quality improvement project. All participants completed the pre-, post, and two-week follow-up questionnaires. The questions assessed current nutritional and physical status using a Modified CDC 2021 Youth Risk Behaviors and Surveillance System survey and the Preadolescent Nutritional Knowledge and Behavioral Questionnaire. Overall, there was a 24% increase between the pre-test and the two-week follow-up. A paired sample t-test assessed the effectiveness of the educational program. There was significance noted between the overall score of the pre-test and two-week follow-up, t (6) = -2.90, p = .027 (p \u3c 0.05). The study revealed that preadolescents could change their dietary behavior with appropriate support and educational tools. Also, when educating pediatric patients, providers must consider the family unit and community to support them