THE ROLE OF SOCIAL MARKETING IN IMPROVING CHILDREN’S NUTRITION PATTERN

Background and Aim: Obesity is a global concern and an important factor of chronic disease that imposes a lot of costs to the countries healthcare system. Although it mostly begins in the following of inappropriate nutrition pattern and results to vast physical, mental and social complications but could be preventable from the golden period of childhood. Social marketing could possibly be an effective tool to educate, change of attitudes and finally modify behavior. In the current study the role of social marketing was considered for the improvement of nutrition pattern of primary school’s children in Tehran.Methods: 122 students from three different socio-economy levels and a control group were selected. The study groups were given four brochures with understandable content during four weeks (one brochure weekly, plus an explanation for minimum twenty minutes).The questionnaires were given to study group to evaluate the effect of intervention on the nutrition knowledge, verbal communication (nutrition discussion), the amount of nutrient consumption and fast food usage.Results: Data, analyzed by SPSS, showed that social marketing resulted in increasing the nutrition knowledge, verbal communication and nutrient consumption among students, simultaneously decreasing the tendency of fast food usage. (P<0.05)Conclusion: Totally social marketing was effective on the most of the students and was able to improve nutrition pattern of primary school’s children. Since children at this period, experience the first autonomy of food selection for the first time, upgrading awareness level and attitude modification regarding food, results in institutionalizing healthy eating habits and may prevents the obesity.

کلیدواژه ها:

Social Marketing ، Obesity ، Nutrition Pattern