Changes in Obesity Knowledge After Booklet-Based Nutrition Education Among Junior High School Students

Abstract

Background: Adolescent obesity is a growing public health problem, and limited knowledge may hinder healthy food and activity choices. Printed booklets allow students to revisit concise information and may support classroom nutrition education. Objective: To assess changes in obesity-related knowledge after booklet-based nutrition education among junior high school students. Methods: This pre-experimental study used a one-group pretest-posttest design among all 30 eighth-grade students at SMPN 1 Lhoknga, Aceh Besar. Knowledge was measured before and after the intervention using a questionnaire. The intervention content, duration, questionnaire characteristics, statistical test, and software require author confirmation. Results: Participants were aged 15 years (76.7%) or 16 years (23.3%); 66.7% were boys. The mean knowledge score increased from 5.03 (SD 1.69) before education to 10.20 (SD 2.26) afterward, a mean difference of 5.17 points. The original analysis reported p<0.001. Conclusion: Knowledge scores were higher after booklet-based nutrition education. Because this study had no comparison group and limited methodological detail, the finding should be interpreted as a pre-post change rather than definitive evidence of effectiveness.