The Effectiveness of Three Educational Methods (Lecture, Question and Answer, Presentation of Pamphlet) on the Continuation of Nutritional Behavior in the Elderly

Objectives: It is necessary to implement educational programs to maintain the knowledge of the elderly about their nutrition. The aim of this study was to compare the intervention based on three educational methods (lecture, question and answer, pamphlet) on nutritional status and sustainable nutritional knowledge of the elderly in Bandar Abbas. Materials and Methods: In the present quasi-experimental study, the statistical population includes all the elderly (people 60 years and older) in Bandar Abbas with a sample size of 120 people (30 people in the control group and 30 people in each of the three intervention groups) by sample method. Two-stage sampling was performed. Educational intervention for the intervention groups was done by presenting pamphlets, lectures, questions and answers. Data collection tools were a 20-item questionnaire on sustainable nutrition knowledge of the Ministry of Health and a 35-item questionnaire on nutritional behavior of the elderly. Data were analyzed by SPSS software version 23 through one-way analysis of variance and repeated measures analysis of variance. Results: The age of the elderly participants in the study was 60 - 79 years. In terms of sexual distribution, the majority were male (53.3%). The results showed that the effect of question and answer training is effective on improving the nutritional status (P = 0.031 F = 4.397) and sustainable nutritional knowledge of the elderly (P = 0.002 F = 10.108). However, training in the use of pamphlets and lectures has no statistically significant effect on nutrition status and lasting knowledge. Conclusion: The question and answer training method is a more effective method compared to lectures and pamphlets in changing the nutritional knowledge and nutritional status of the elderly, which helps to formulate appropriate training programs in the elderly.