CHAPTER 4: RESULTS
4.2 Results of the statistical analysis of the variables
4.2.3 Post-test nutrition knowledge of learners after the game intervention
Table 4.7: Questions in the ESM group that showed a significant increase in knowledge (n = 97)
Mean before
Mean
after t df Sig.(2- tailed)
Q4 What are good examples of exercise? 0.68 0.39 4.302 96 0.000
Q9 Do you have to eat fish, chicken, lean meat or eggs every day? 0.63 0.45 2.673 96 0.009 Q12 What are some examples of foods that have a lot of fat in them? 0.03 0.15 -3.133 96 0.002 Q17 In which group of foods do we find the most protein? 0.19 0.37 -2.808 96 0.006
Q20 What does protein do for our body? 0.40 0.26 2.150 96 0.034
Q21 What would happen if we did not eat enough starches? 0.07 0.28 -3.911 96 0.000 Items in bold indicate a significant improvement from pre- to post-test
knowledge section from 2.81 ±1.086 (70.3%) to 2.70 ±1.049 (67.5%). Most of the maximum scores remained fairly similar.
When looking at the significance of these increases another paired sample t-test was conducted using the pre- and post-test scores for each section. Table 4.10 shows the statistically significant increase in the knowledge of nutritional benefits and deficiencies from pre-test 15.6% (0.78 ±0.794) to post-test 20.8% (1.04 ±0.904). The other sections in the table showed no significant difference despite their increases.
Table 4.9: Total nutrition knowledge scores for each section of the game post-test (n=89)
Number of questions
Min score Max score Mean Std
deviation
n % n % n %
FBDG knowledge
Pre-test 4 0 0.0 4 100 2.81 70.3 1.086
Post-test 4 0 0.0 4 100 2.70 67.5 1.049
Food groups
Pre-test 9 0 0.0 6 66.7 2.62 29.1 1.211
Post-test 9 0 0.0 6 66.7 2.83 31.4 1.308
Nutrient content
Pre-test 5 0 0.0 4 80.0 1.45 29.0 0.954
Post-test 5 0 0.0 4 80.0 1.58 31.6 1.085
Nutritional benefits and deficiencies
Pre-test 5 0 0.0 3 60.0 0.78 15.6 0.794
Post-test 5 0 0.0 4 80.0 1.04 20.8 0.940
Table 4.10: The significance of each of the sections for the game group before and after intervention (n=89)
Mean before (±SD) Mean after (±SD) t df Sig. (2-tailed)
FBDG knowledge 2.81 (±1.086) 2.70 (±1.049) 0.784 88 0.435
Food group 2.62 (±1.211) 2.83 (±1.308) -1.135 88 0.259
Nutrient content 1.45 (±0.954) 1.58 (±1.085) -0.909 88 0.366 Nutritional benefits and
deficiencies 0.78 (±0.794) 1.04 (±0.940) -2.165 88 0.033
Items in bold indicate a significant improvement from pre- to post-test
The individual questions for the game revealed that more than half of the questions increased in the final score. Table 4.11 shows each of the questions with the corresponding number of learners who answered correctly (n and %) for the pre- and post-test. Those questions where the number of correct answers post-test is larger than the number of correct answers pre-test indicated an improvement in knowledge scores. In the first section the questions regarding
water consumption showed a 6.7% increase, while questions about starchy food, the fortification logo, fruit and vegetables, sugary foods and fatty foods saw an increase of 2.2%, 30.4%, 3.4%, 13.5% and 10.1% respectively in the food group section. The nutrient content section had 3 questions that showed improvement; the question about sources of calcium (23.6% post-test), foods containing iron (33.7% post-test) and ways to reduce saturated fat (12.4% improvement). In the final section only one question did not show an improvement while the rest (function of vitamin A, starch, calcium, and fruit and vegetables) showed an increase of between 3% and 9%.
The question about the fortification logo showed the biggest improvement overall, and when tested using a paired sample t-test was shown to be statistically significant (p=0.000). The questions in Table 4.12 are those questions that showed statistically significant improvement or deterioration. Those questions where the mean of the pre-test is smaller than the mean of the post-test are positively significant, while those questions where the mean is larger before intervention show a statistically significant decrease in their knowledge scores. As can be seen by Table 4.12, the questions asking about sugary foods (p=0.001), foods high in fat (p=0.028) and ways to reduce saturated fat intake (p=0.011) also showed statistically significant improvements.
Table 4.11: The number of learners who answered correctly and the related percentage for the game group (n=89)
Pre-test Post-test
n % n %
FBDG Knowledge (Multiple Choice)
Q1 What does “eat a variety of foods mean”? 63 70.8 50 56.2
Q2 How much water do learners need to drink every day? 50 56.2 56 62.9
Q3 Do you think it is important to exercise? 72 80.9 69 77.5
Q4 What are good examples of exercise? 65 73.0 65 73.0
Food Groups Knowledge (Multiple Choice)
Q5 Which foods are high in starch? 62 69.7 45 50.6
Q6 How often should we eat starchy foods every day? 34 38.2 36 40.4
Q7 What does this logo stand for? 1 1.1 28 31.5
Q8 How could you include more plant proteins into your diet? 24 27.0 22 24.7 Q9 Do you have to eat fish, chicken, lean meat or eggs every day? 57 64.0 54 60.7 Q10 How can you eat more fruit and vegetables every day? 5 5.6 8 9.0
Q11 What are examples of sugary foods? 2 2.2 14 15.7
Q12 What are examples of foods that have a lot of fat in them? 5 5.6 14 15.7 Q13 How often should we have milk, maas or yoghurt? 43 48.3 31 34.8 Nutrient Content Knowledge (Multiple Choice)
Q14 Which foods contain vitamin A? 50 56.2 48 53.9
Q15 What is the main food source of calcium? 13 14.6 21 23.6
Q16 Which group of foods contain the most iron? 27 30.3 30 33.7 Q17 In which group of foods do we find the most protein? 34 38.2 26 29.2 Q18 What can we do to reduce our saturated fat intake? 5 5.6 16 18.0 Nutritional Benefits and Deficiencies Knowledge (Multiple Choice)
Q19 What is the function of vitamin A in the body? 15 16.9 22 24.7
Q20 What does protein do for our body? 22 24.7 21 23.6
Q21 What would happen if we did not eat enough starches? 5 5.6 12 13.5 Q22 What vitamin/mineral helps to prevent weak bones & teeth? 16 18 19 21.3
Q23 What do you get from fruit and vegetables? 11 12.4 19 21.3
Items in bold indicate an improvement from pre- to post-test
Table 4.12: Questions in the game group that showed a significant increase in knowledge
Mean before
Mean
after t df Sig. (2
tailed) Q1 What does “eat a variety of foods mean”? 0.71 0.56 2.247 88 0.027
Q5 Which foods are high in starch? 0.70 0.51 2.616 88 0.010
Q7 What does this logo stand for? 0.01 0.31 -5.886 88 0.000
Q11 What are examples of sugary foods? 0.02 0.16 -3.391 88 0.001
Q12 What are some examples of foods that have a lot of fat in
them? 0.06 0.16 -2.231 88 0.028
Q18 What can we do to reduce our saturated fat intake? 0.06 0.18 -2.604 88 0.011 Items in bold indicate knowledge retention
The relationship between the answers in the pre- and post-test was investigated using Spearman’s correlation coefficient, but there was no strong correlation between pre- and post- test scores for any of the significant questions (rho<0.3 for all indicating a small correlation only). There was however, a medium, positive correlation between the total pre-test score and the total post-test score for the game (rho=0.296, n=89, p<0.005) with high scores in the pre- test associated with high scores in the post-test. These results differ from those in the control.