Effect of a comprehensive nutrition education program on nutritional behavior and food security of female-headed households who receive welfare support in Zanjan Province, Iran

BACKGROUND: In recent years, the food security and dietary quality of many Iranian families have deteriorated due to unprecedented inflation. Nutrition education programs can be an effective and inexpensive method to improve food quality and security. The present study aimed to investigate the effect of a comprehensive nutrition education program for low-income women who are heads of households and are covered by the Zanjan province’s welfare. METHODS: The food security of 2600 female-headed households covered by the Welfare of Zanjan province was evaluated using a standard 6-item questionnaire. A total of 600 women with the highest food insecurity scores were selected for the comprehensive nutrition education program. The participants received six sessions of 1.5 h of courses about how to improve the quality of their diets and manage their budgets and be physically active. At the beginning of the study and one month after the completion of the intervention, the participants were asked to complete a questionnaire designed and validated by the investigators. The scores of each section before and after the intervention were compared using paired t-test method and p values ​​of < 0.05 were considered statistically significant. RESULTS: The prevalence of severe food insecurity among female-headed households who receive welfare support in Abhar, Khodabandeh, and Zanjan cities was 59.5%, 75%, and 62%, respectively. A total of 505 participants successfully completed the courses. After completion of the educational intervention, diet quality, physical activity, budgeting, and food safety scores of the participants increased by 6%, 4%, 4%, and 5%, respectively, which were statistically significant (p < 0.001). However, no significant difference was observed in the food insecurity scores. CONCLUSION: The comprehensive nutrition education program without financial or nutritional support can have a small but significant impact on the improvement of the nutritional behaviors and dietary quality of low-income people.