Virginia Research Day 2022

Medical Student Research Educational

02 An Innovative Approach To Health Intervention Via A Remote Internet Delivered Pediatric Nutrtion Education Course For Parents

Jeremy DiGennaro, OMS IV; Randdie Joyce Ramaeu, DO; Stephanie MacEachern, DO; Benjamin Waddell, DO; Ning Cheng, PhD Corresponding author: jdigennaro@vt.vcom.edu

VCOM Virginia

compare the average of the GNKQ-R results between each cohort. Quantitative data from the satisfaction questionnaire was analyzed using a 5-point Likert scale. Participation rate was higher in the control group (54%) compared to the experimental group (22%). The average scores on the modified questionnaire between the control and experimental groups are 53% and 72% respectively. An F-test of variance resulted in a p-value of .258 which suggests unequal variance between the two cohorts. A nonparametric t-test was performed between the groups with a p-value of .008. In conclusion, based on the p-value of .008 the email-based nutrition course improved parents’ knowledge of pediatric nutrition, however poor participation in the course (22%) means that email is not an efficient nor the optimal mechanism to deliver information to patients or their guardians Home-based education could be further expanded in the future considering our web-based course received a 4/5 average rating from participants involved in the study.

The primary outcome of interest is parent knowledge which is a dependent variable measured using the GNKQ-R. The validity and reliability of the GNKQ-R have been pre- determined. Our independent variable is the delivered nutrition content. In this study a randomized prospective two-cohort study was performed. Groups were randomized at the time of recruitment. Cohort one (control) received an email with the modified nutrition questionnaire. IP addresses and email addresses were saved along with questionnaire answers. Cohort two (experimental) received a series of emails automatically delivered over a period of five consecutive days that contained the nutrition course content. Content was delivered and email open rates were tracked with their service. On the day after the nutrition course finished, cohort two then received the same modified nutrition questionnaire that cohort one received along with a feedback form. Demographic information including age, sex, and race was also presented with statistics and frequencies. A t-test analysis was used to

Prior studies have delivered in-person nutrition interventions and assessed the impact on knowledge utilizing the Generalized Nutrition Knowledge Questionnaire (GNKQ) as a measurement tool. Other analyses have additionally elucidated on the increase in knowledge demonstrated by adults upon completion of both online written and online video-based nutrition courses. Participants from both these studies scored higher on their post- intervention GNKQ; suggesting the positive impact nutrition education resources have on patients. However, these results do not elaborate on the potential benefits that nutrition courses can have on parents’ knowledge of their children’s nutritional needs. Our study will be unique in that it provides a nutrition course tailored to addressing these current needs for parent education, while also addressing patient education limitations posed by time constraints by also providing a solely web-based course. The investigation seeks to determine the impact that a short web-based nutrition course regarding children’s nutritional requirements can have on parents’ knowledge.

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