Impact of Nutrition Education on Awareness of Gut Health and Functional Dietary Components Among Adolescent Girls in Mumbai

Abstract

Nutrition plays a vital role in growth, development, and long-term health, particularly during adolescence, a critical phase marked by rapid physical and psychological changes. Despite increased exposure to health information, adolescents often lack structured and scientifically accurate nutrition knowledge, especially those from non-science academic backgrounds. In recent years, growing scientific evidence has highlighted the importance of gut health, gut microbiota, probiotics, prebiotics, and dietary fiber in maintaining digestive and overall well-being. However, awareness regarding these emerging concepts remains limited among younger populations. The present study aimed to assess awareness regarding gut health, probiotics, prebiotics, and dietary Fiber among junior college-going adolescent girls and to evaluate the impact of a nutrition education intervention on awareness levels. A quantitative pre-test and post-test interventional study was conducted among 100 junior college-going adolescent girls (16–18 years) in Mumbai. A self-developed, expert-validated questionnaire was used to assess awareness before and after three structured nutrition education sessions. Paired t-test analysis revealed statistically significant improvement in post-test scores across all domains (p < 0.001). The findings indicate that structured, age-appropriate nutrition education can effectively enhance gut health awareness among adolescent girls and may contribute to improved nutrition literacy in this population.