Determining the effect of nutrition education based on Pender's health promotion model on the breakfast habits of secondary school students

The aim of this study is to determine the effect of nutrition education based on Pender's Health Promotion Model on middle school students' breakfast habits. The study was conducted using a pre-test post-test experimental-control group design and was carried out at a middle school in the city center of Karaman. The sample consisted of 135 voluntarily participating 7th-grade students without any chronic illness (67 in the experimental group, 68 in the control group). Data collection tools included the Sociodemographic Characteristics Data Form, the Nutrition Behavior Scale, the Health Promotion Model Scale Related to Breakfast Consumption, and the Parent Questionnaire. Nutrition education based on the Health Promotion Model was provided to the experimental group, while no education was given to the control group. In the data analysis, paired and independent t-tests and the McNemar Chi-square test were used, with a significance level set at p<0.05. This study found that the nutrition education based on Pender's Health Promotion Model had an effect on the components of the model. After the training, significant increases were observed in the experimental group's sub-dimensions of "previous related behavior," "perceived benefits," "perceived self-efficacy," and "positive affect." Significant decreases were noted in the sub-dimensions of "perceived barriers," "negative affect," and "interpersonal influences" (p<0.05). These results indicate that nutrition education based on Pender's Health Promotion Model is effective in improving breakfast habits among middle school students. It is recommended that future studies reinforce these findings with larger sample sizes and long-term follow-ups. Keywords: Breakfast, Children, Education, Models, Nursing, Nutritional status.