Nutrition Education - Advantages and Limitations

Nutrition Education is interdisciplinary, combining the sectors of education, communication, nutrition, health and agriculture. Nutrition Education is integrative, because it helps to make the link between physical assets, such as agricultural production or rural infrastructure, and social assets, such as knowledge, attitudes and practices, for a better use of these goods. Nutrition Education enables sustainable and long-term behavioural changes in the field of food consumption and other nutrition related subjects, i.e. health practices. Nutrition Education facilitates the relationship between the project staff, the local leader and the target population through communication.

Nutrition Education has no influence on long-term behavioural changes, if the causes of malnutrition are not known and if the enabling factors for these changes are not ensured (e.g. food consumption can only be changed if the necessary food items are available). Nutrition Education requires specific skills and many resources for appropriate conceptualisation and implementation in the field. Nutrition Education is not an ad-hoc programme with short term effects, but requires a long-term and integrative approach. Nutrition Education needs to respond adequately to the causes of the identified nutritional problems, to the cultural attitudes and psychological constraints. If not, nutrition education remains ineffective.