RESUMO
White women aged 25-34 years (n 264) from the lower socio-economic classes (C2, D and E) were classified according to their motivation in respect of health and their educational attainment and arithmetical ability. They were randomly allocated to three groups. One group (test) was given a course in basic nutrition consisting of a video and booklet, each embellished with motivational material. Those classed as of low ability also received the training material in simplified format. A second group (control) received a video and booklet with no motivational or simplified materials. The third group (baseline) received no tuition and represented a control of publicly available information during the period of the experiment. The participants answered a series of questions by administered questionnaire to measure their nutritional knowledge before and one week after they viewed the video programme. All participants achieved significantly higher scores at the second questionnaire. The test and control groups achieved significantly higher scores than the baseline group but there was no significant difference between the test and control groups. The presentation of motivational or simplified materials had no significant effect on learning ability though those classified as more highly motivated and of higher ability achieved higher scores at each questionnaire. The results indicate that young adult females can be taught basic nutrition irrespective of their motivation or ability.