| This study was conducted to assess the general nutrition knowledge and average intake of iron compared with the Reference Dietary Intakes (RDIs) in a group of adolescents. Participants included 15 non-pregnant and 6 pregnant adolescents, ages 14–19 years. Two-hour educational sessions were conducted twice during a two-week time period. A food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) was used to assess iron intake. A pretest and posttest were used to determine the benefit of nutrition education. Paired-sample t test and Mann Whitney U were used for test score analysis. A nutrient composition table was used for the FFQ. Non-pregnant adolescents are consuming 55% and pregnant adolescents are consuming 26% of the daily iron recommendations. The paired sample t test indicates significant statistical difference between the pre and post test scores for the whole group (p = <.001), the non-pregnant group (p = <.001) and the pregnant group (p = .045). Limited nutrient knowledge and poor iron intakes illustrate a need for additional education. |
