Design of a Graphic Recipe Book to Improve Eating Habits Practices Based on the Local Cuisine of the Bellavista Commune of Guayaquil Gulf, Ecuador

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to design a digital graphic recipe book by optimizing food preparations to develop new culinary skills and improve the eating habits of the families that integrate the Bellavista community in the Gulf of Guayaquil. METHODS: A descriptive-observational non-experimental cross-sectional study was carried out with a sample of 15 mothers over 18 years of age. All the participants accepted to be part of the study through signing an informed consent. An anthropometric nutritional evaluation, a socioeconomic questionnaire, a KAP questionnaire on knowledge, attitudes, and practices in nutrition, three nutritional educational interventions, and a practical workshop were carried out. To evaluate the effectiveness of the nutritional educational interventions the KAP questionnaire was applied at the beginning and at the end of the study among the participants. The before and after of KAP results were analyzed by a paired t-test considering a significant p-value < 0.05 using the RStudio software. After all the information was collected a graphic recipes book was designed. RESULTS: Once the intervention was completed, an improvement in the participants' learning was observed, evidenced in the preparation of dishes with a better arrangement of macronutrients, as well as a 70% improvement in their attitudes regarding health and nutrition. The paired t-test confirmed that there was an improvement in knowledge acquisition and that the educational talks had a positive effect (p-value < 0.05), with a confidence interval of 40.5%–79.4%. CONCLUSIONS: A digital graphic recipe book is an important tool in the communication and nutritional education strategy, which creates a positive impact on the nutrition of the members of the Bellavista community. FUNDING SOURCES: None.