Assessment of nutrition knowledge, perceptions of wild food plants, and associated influencing factors among secondary school students in Cambodia

The nutritionally rich wild food plants (WFPs) are underutilized, particularly among school-aged children in Cambodia. While previous studies have documented the general value of WFPs, empirical evidence on how school-based training interventions influence students’ nutrition knowledge (NK) and perceptions of WFPs remains scarce. Training interventions can be an efficient way to increase awareness and adoption of WFPs. This study provided evidence by assessing the effects of a combined-nutrition and WFPs-focused training intervention on secondary school students’ NK, perceptions of WFPs, and their relationships, along with associated influencing factors. A posttest-only experimental design was carried out among 279 students in grades 7 through 11, covering an age range of 12 to 19 years and comprising trained students (TS, n = 137) who received an intervention and non-trained students (NTS, n = 142). Compared with the NTS, TS scored significantly higher in NK [ t (277) = 4.66, p < 0.01] and perceptions of WFPs [ t (277) = 5.06, p < 0.01]. Both groups had poor NK scores (TS = 10.99 [36.64%]; NTS = 8.74 [29.13%]) but good perception scores (TS = 3.87 [77.35%]; NTS = 3.59 [71.70%]). A significant positive correlation between NK and perceptions of WFPs ( r = 0.142, p < 0.05) emerged, suggesting that the training intervention helped strengthen both outcomes among students. Most students expressed positive attitudes toward NK, with preference for nutrition knowledge (NK3) emerging as a significant predictor of high NK scores [Odd Ratio (OR) = 2.03, p < 0.05]. Maternal education also positively influenced NK outcomes whereas key predictors of perceptions of WFPs included exposure to WFPs from home gardens (OR = 4.76, p < 0.1) and from markets (OR = 3.63, p < 0.1). Collectively, these findings demonstrate that even brief, targeted training interventions meaningfully improve both NK and perceptions of WFPs among Cambodian secondary school students and offer critical insights for integrating nutrition-based WFPs into school curricula, which might serve as a foundation for dietary acceptance of WFPs among Cambodian youth, particularly in areas with limited food resources.