The impact of dialogic reading-based nutrition education on preschool children’s nutrition knowledge and dietary diversity: a quasi-experimental study

This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of a dialogic reading-based nutrition education program in improving nutrition knowledge and dietary diversity among preschool children. A quasi-experimental pre-test-post-test design was used. A total of 46 children (26 in the intervention group, 20 in the control group) from two preschools in Istanbul participated. The intervention group received an eight-week nutrition education program that integrated dialogic reading with real food exposure, sensory play, table-top activities, and parental involvement. Data were collected using the Children's Nutrition Knowledge Form, non-quantitative food frequency questionnaire (nQ-FFQ), and anthropometric measurements. Dietary Diversity Score and Food Group Diversity Score were calculated from the nQ-FFQ. The intervention group showed a statistically significant increase in nutrition knowledge scores compared to the control group (p = 0.019; Cohen's d = 0.72). No significant difference was found in overall dietary diversity scores, although slight improvements were observed in some food groups. Post-test comparisons of anthropometric measurements between the intervention group and the control group revealed significant differences. The effect sizes for changes in body weight and height were 0.62 and 0.65, respectively, indicating moderate effects. The dialogic reading-based and multi-component nutrition education program effectively enhanced preschool children's nutrition knowledge. While short-term changes in dietary diversity and anthropometric measures were limited, the results suggest that such an interactive and developmentally appropriate approach holds promise for early childhood nutrition education. Long-term interventions that include parent education may be necessary to achieve behavioral and physical outcomes.Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT07170696, 05 September 2025. Retrospectively registered.