Abstract
Background: One of major aims of health education is to accomplish conducting active behaviors that promote health, and better manage and improve it. It would be critical to assess whether given health education actually had a significant impact on one's health or alternatively influenced relevant factors that could possibly promote health. Health promotion, on the other hand, aims to improve quality of life first at an individual level. In addition, at environmental level, it aims to improve social determinants of health. Said evaluation should comprehensively examine those outcomes. Difficulty of conducting such evaluation, however, arises from broad and diverse factors associated with health promotion.
Contents: Methodologies may vary by when and what to make an evaluation for. Angles of such methodologies may include but not limited to planning, process, impact and outcome. In the case of school-based nutrition education, however, whether the same should be applied or another framework should be used leaves much room for discussion. Methodologies of such evaluations heavily depend on those of intervention studies in epidemiology. Before-after studies, Quasi-experimental studies, and controlled trials are valued in intervention studies. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) are most rigorous studies to establish scientific evidence, but difficult to implement in school settings.
Conclusions: Schools are for educational practices for children, and not solely for research. Evaluation of nutrition education is important, but has not been always feasible. Further discussion will be necessary to explore ways for researchers to collaborate and share mutual interests with schools in an efficient yet a balanced manner.
