The Effects of parent assisted nutritional education on the behavior and nutritional knowledge of 3-6 years old children

This research was carried out at Dikmen Nevzat Ayaz Kız Teknik Anadolu Meslek ve Kız Meslek Lisesi in order to determine the effect of parental guided nourishment education given to children of 3-6 age group, on children's nourishment knowledge and behaviour. First of all an experiment group of 25 and a control group of 25 child were set up, for the practice and the information on the knowledge level and behaviour of the test subjects was obtained by means of a "Nourishment Knowledge Determination Form", a "Parental Information Form" and a "Behavioural Information Form". At the second stage, the nourishment education program to be applied on the subjects was determined in order that the children's nourishment knowledge level is upgraded and positive changes are made in their eating behaviour. This program was applied on all subjects for five weeks at school. A long with this education, subjects were allowed to receive a secondary education by sending related documents to their parents. At the last stage, information related to nourishment knowledge levels and nourishment behaviours of both groups after the education were again obtained by means of a "Nourishment Knowledge Determination Form" and a "Behavioural Information Form", and the positive effects of the education were statistically evaluated. Research results show that; with the education given there was a significant rise at the nourishment knowledge levels of control and experiment group children, however there was not much difference between the rise in the knowledge levels of both groups, and there was a little development in the positive sense at the nourishment behaviours of both groups.Thus, it was understood that including a nourishment education at the pre-school institutes, may increase the level of nourishment knowledge of children, and may affect their eating behaviours in a positive way. Apart from practising related education programs; developing educational tools in this field, training educational staff and allowing parents benefit from these programs by means of media and press, will allow the nourishment education for pre-school children give better results. IV