Peer-reviewed article
Assessment of a Non-Randomized Education Intervention for Primary School Aimed to Promote the Inclusion of People with Celiac Disease: Zeliakide Project (Part II).
Vázquez-Polo M, Navarro V, Lasa A, Larretxi I, Perez-Junkera G et al. ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This study evaluates a one-month school education program called Zeliakide designed to teach children aged 10-12 years about celiac disease and gluten-free diets. The program used interactive STEAM and inquiry-based learning methods across 8 sessions. Results showed the intervention improved children's knowledge about celiac disease and increased inclusive attitudes, with knowledge retained one month later.
Key points
- 299 children participated: 155 in the intervention group and 144 in a control group
- The intervention significantly improved children's ability to explain celiac disease, assess gluten, and classify foods by gluten content
- Knowledge gains were retained one month after the intervention ended
- The program increased inclusive and empathetic behaviors towards people with celiac disease
- Students also developed better understanding of scientific work through the program
Limitations
This is a non-randomized study with a control group that followed regular curriculum rather than an alternative intervention, which may limit causal inference. The study measures only short-term outcomes (one month) and does not assess long-term behavioral change or real-world inclusion practices.
Abstract
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.