Title: CONSTRAINTS IN THE PROVISION OF NUTRITION EDUCATION FOR RURAL SCHOOL CHILDREN

Authors: Ankit Pal, Awadhesh Dixit and Anirban Jana

Publisher: The President, Society of Extension Education Gujarat

Keywords: nutrition, teachers, rural children, bihar, RBQ

Volume: 40

Issue: 2

Year: December 2025

DOI: https://doi.org/10.56572/gjoee.2025.40.2.0005

Abstract: The provision of effective nutrition education (NE) to rural school children is essential for preventing malnutrition and promoting good health throughout life. However, there are many challenges to its implementation. This study was conducted in the Arwal district of Bihar, India, to identify and rank the perceived constraints faced by teachers in delivering NE to students in rural schools. A purposive sampling technique was used to choose 120 responders from three blocks that were chosen at random. Data was gathered using a pretested list of barriers that were divided into three categories: organizational, technical, and socioeconomic. The Rank Based Quotient (RBQ) technique was applied to quantify and rank the severity of each constraint. The study found that the primary socioeconomic constraint for teachers was limited financial resources in schools (RBQ: 96.22). The main technical barrier for parents was their limited awareness about nutrient-retaining cooking methods (RBQ: 101.22). The most severe organizational barrier was identified as limited parental participation in school activities (RBQ: 108.02). In order to guarantee the successful implementation of nutrition education programs in rural areas, the study comes to the conclusion that a multi-stakeholder approach is crucial, with an emphasis on obtaining dedicated funding, enhancing parents' practical culinary skills, and strengthening school-community ties through strong Parent-Teacher Associations (PTAs). The results of multiple regression analysis showed that institutional and socio-personal factors had a significant impact on the barriers to nutrition education. The model was significant at the 0.01 level and accounted for 65.6% of the variation (R2 = 0.656). Although budget availability and knowledge of nutrition policies also had a significant impact, the most important factors lowering constraints were the frequency of training programs, institutional support, and the availability of teaching aids. These results emphasize how crucial it is to strengthen the delivery of nutrition education through capacity building, institutional support, and sufficient resource support.