# Inducement of positive nutritional practices through health promotion campaigns among parents/caregivers in Albania

## TL;DR

A health promotion campaign in Albania increased home cooking and healthy eating practices among parents, especially among Roma/Egyptian communities.

## Contribution

The study demonstrates the effectiveness of multi-component health campaigns in improving nutritional behaviors in a community-based sample.

## Key findings

- Home cooking and provision of homemade foods to children increased by 11% after the intervention.
- Healthy nutritional practices improved particularly among Roma/Egyptian parents/caregivers post-intervention.
- Both onsite and online interventions contributed to the observed behavioral changes.

## Abstract

Opting for homemade meals is the healthiest choice. We assessed the change in nutritional practices among parents/caregivers exposed to health promotion campaigns. Pre- and post-intervention surveys inquiring about nutritional practices were conducted respectively in March and June 2022 in a community-based sample of 583 parents/caregivers in Albania (62% females; age: 39.7 ± 7.1 years; response: 83%). The multi-component intervention consisted of community-based ‘onsite’ events (awareness raising campaigns) and ‘online’ interventions (knowledge portal and digital applications). After the intervention, the prevalence of home cooking and/or provision of home-made foods to children for eating at school increased by 11% (both P < 0.01). Engagement in healthy nutritional practices ‘only after the intervention’ increased especially among Roma/Egyptian parents/caregivers.