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Evaluation of a Nutrition Education Program in Oman: A Case Study

The aim of this article is to evaluate the nutrition education program for women in Oman. The multisectorial program used various methods of education especially television spots, radio programs, booklets, and posters. A sample of 1024 mothers aged fifteen to fifty years were selected from all geographical regions of Oman, and asked about radio listening and television watching behavior as well as their understanding of nutrition messages. The findings revealed that ownership of televisions was higher than radios (95% and 85%, respectively). Of mothers, 61 percent watched the health and nutrition program on television compared to 41 percent who listened to these programs on radio. Three posters were tested for their understanding by mothers. The percentage of mothers who gave the right explanation of the message in these posters ranged from 28 percent to 70 percent. Although many mothers were exposed to the nutrition education messages, it is difficult to say that the mothers changed their nutrition behavior. Mothers (or target group) should be involved in planning the educational materials and these materials should be pretested. The role of television as the most important educational tool is discussed. Suggestions to improve nutrition education programs in Oman are given.