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For Nutrition Info, Moms Like the Web Best |
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From EurekAlert! - Breaking News: A Web site is a better source of information on nutrition than a video game or printed pamphlet, according to a study of low-income mothers reported in the January issue of the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior (http://www.jneb.org/). One group played a video game in which a series of entertaining activities were used to communicate nutrition facts. Other groups received the same information in a Web site format or a printed pamphlet. Responses suggested that the mothers liked the Web site format best. They paid more attention to information presented on the Web site and understood it better. They were also more likely to say they would go back to the Web site for nutrition information, compared to the video game or pamphlet. "Nutrition literacy" scores were higher for women who viewed the Web site. On follow-up testing two weeks later, mothers assigned to the Web site were no more likely to retain the information than those who saw the other two formats. Video games seem to be a promising "edu-tainment" approach to communicating health information---the game holds the person's attention while communicating the health message. The researchers conclude, "Future interventions that integrate media need to consider how people use media in addition to what media they use." The purpose of JNEB is to document and disseminate original research, emerging issues and practices relevant to nutrition education and behavior worldwide.
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