Assessment of a Non-Randomized Education Intervention for Primary School Aimed to Promote the Inclusion of People with Celiac Disease: Zeliakide Project (Part II).

BACKGROUND AND AIM: The gluten-free diet (GFD) can have a huge impact on the quality of life of people with celiac disease (CD), especially on a social level. The objective of this work is to evaluate a structured nutrition education program focused on CD and GFD that aims to increase knowledge and improve inclusion attitudes about the disease in children.

METHODS

This is a one-month intervention for school children aged 10-12 years called Zeliakide (8 sessions). It was carried out through a STEAM methodology, using inquiry-based learning. The participants responses were evaluated through questionnaires before and after the intervention, and participants were also followed up one month later. The control group was a similar group of students who followed their regular school curriculum.

RESULTS

299 children from one school of Vitoria-Gasteiz took part in the study (155 intervention group; 144 control group). Zeliakide significantly improved knowledge about CD and GFD in children, and this knowledge was retained for one month. Concretely, students increased their ability to explain what CD is, to assess gluten, and to classify food groups according to gluten content. The intervention contributed to augmenting the selection of behaviors to overcome differences between individuals, assessed one month after the intervention. In addition, the program allowed students to understand the work of scientists.

CONCLUSIONS

Zeliakide can contribute to nutrition education initiatives that aim to improve knowledge of CD and GFD in the general population, while promoting empathetic behavior towards people with CD.

REGISTRATION: clinicaltrials.gov, NCT05467865 on 21 July 2022.