Effectiveness of food and nutritional education activities in children under the age of two: a systematic review

Abstract

Abstract Objectives: to evaluate the effectiveness of food and nutritional education on children up to the age of two. Methods: the systematic review was carried out in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses. The research was carried out in 2022 in the Virtual Health Library/Lilacs, Pubmed/Medline and Science Direct databases. The articles were selected independently using the Microsoft Excel® program. Articles that evaluated food and nutritional education applied on children up to the age of two were included. The risk of bias was assessed using the Joanna Briggs Institute tool. Results: the research resulted in 1,523 studies and nine were included in the review. The articles presented a low risk of bias and good methodological quality. Food and nutritional education strategies were developed especially with the children’s parents. Workshops, lectures, and teaching materials were developed. In most of the studies, the activities developed helped to improve children’s health and eating patterns. Conclusion: food and nutritional education activities have therefore been effective in building healthy eating habits at childhood. Prospero registration: CRD42022325608.

Keywords

• Food and nutritional education
• Child health
• Healthy eating
• Child