Is an ecological school-based nutrition intervention effective to improve adolescents’ nutrition-related knowledge, attitudes and behaviour in rural areas of China?

2016 ◽  
Vol 24 (4) ◽  
pp. 81-89 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dongxu Wang ◽  
Donald Stewart ◽  
Chun Chang
Keyword(s):  
Rural Areas ◽  
Dietary Habits ◽  
Rural China ◽  
Nutrition Intervention ◽  
Ecological Approach ◽  
Control School ◽  
Post Intervention ◽  
School Based ◽  
Health Promoting School ◽  
Health Promoting

Purpose: The purpose of this article is to examine the effect of a school-based nutrition intervention using an ecological approach to improve adolescents’ nutrition-related knowledge, attitudes and behaviour in rural China. Methods: A cluster-randomised intervention trial design was employed. Two middle schools were randomly selected and assigned to the school that was conducting a holistic school-based intervention using health-promoting school (HPS) framework, ‘HPS School’, or to the ‘Control School’ in Mi Yun County, Beijing. From each school we randomly selected 65 seventh-grade students to participate in the study. Their nutrition-related knowledge, attitudes and behaviour were measured by pre- and post-intervention surveys with the same instrument. The nutrition intervention lasted for six months. Results: Adolescents in the intervention school were more likely to know the nutrition knowledge items, with an odds ratio (OR) ranging from 1.86 (95% confidence interval (CI): 1.11–3.09) to 6.34 (95% CI: 3.83–10.47); more likely to think nutrition is very important to health, developing healthy dietary habits is very important, and that expired foods should be thrown away, with ORs of 3.03 (95% CI: 1.60–5.76), 2.76 (95% CI: 1.66–4.59) and 2.35 (95% CI: 1.33–4.17) respectively, and more likely to consume no soft drinks, desserts or fried food, and to eat vegetables every day of the last week, with ORs of 1.99 (95% CI: 1.31–3.04), 3.96 (95% CI: 2.43–6.46), 3.63 (95% CI: 2.26–5.85), and 2.51 (95% CI: 1.41–4.48) respectively, as compared with those in the control school after interventions. Conclusions: Our intervention using the HPS framework, an ecological approach, was an appropriate model to promote nutrition among adolescents in rural China and its use should be advocated in future school-based nutrition promotion programmes for adolescents.

School-based intervention for nutrition promotion in Mi Yun County, Beijing, China

2016 ◽  
Vol 116 (3) ◽  
pp. 310-319 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dongxu Wang ◽  
Donald Stewart ◽  
Chun Chang
Keyword(s):  
Point Of View ◽  
Nutrition Intervention ◽  
Control School ◽  
Eating Behaviours ◽  
Post Intervention ◽  
Content Type ◽  
School Based ◽  
Health Promoting School ◽  
Health Promoting ◽  
Beijing China

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to assess whether the school-based nutrition programme using the health-promoting school (HPS) framework was effective to improve parents’ knowledge, attitudes and behaviour (KAB) in relation to nutrition in rural Mi Yun County, Beijing. Design/methodology/approach – A cluster-randomised intervention trial design was employed. Two middle schools were randomly selected and assigned to either the intervention school using the HPS framework (HPS School), or to the Control School, in Mi Yun County, Beijing. From each school 65 parents of seventh-grade students were randomly selected to participate in the study. Nutrition-related KAB were measured at pre- and post-intervention surveys with the same instrument. The nutrition intervention last for six months. Findings – The school-based nutrition intervention using the HPS framework was effective in increasing parents’ nutrition knowledge; however, it had no statistical significant impact on improving parents’ attitudes towards nutrition and their eating behaviours. Research limitations/implications – The intervention appeared to be inadequate from the point of view of its impact on parents in terms of content, form and frequency. Practical implications – Future school-based nutrition promotion programmes using the HPS framework should focus more on parents, providing them with a more informative, participative and interactive, and frequent intervention. Originality/value – There is very limited published research focusing on the effect of the school-based nutrition promotion programmes using an HPS framework on parents’ nutrition-related KAB. Although, the improved KAB in relation to nutrition among parents is essential to promote young people’s nutrition and healthy eating behaviours.

A holistic school-based nutrition program fails to improve teachers’ nutrition-related knowledge, attitudes and behaviour in rural China

2016 ◽  
Vol 116 (5) ◽  
pp. 467-475 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dongxu Wang ◽  
Donald Stewart ◽  
Chun Chang
Keyword(s):  
Role Model ◽  
Rural China ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Nutrition Intervention ◽  
Basic Knowledge ◽  
Control School ◽  
Post Intervention ◽  
Content Type ◽  
School Based ◽  
Nutrition Programme

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the effectiveness of a holistic school-based nutrition programme using the health-promoting school (HPS) approach, on teachers’ knowledge, attitudes and behaviour in relation to nutrition in rural China. Design/methodology/approach – A cluster-randomised intervention trial design was employed. Two middle schools were randomly selected and assigned to either the intervention school using the HPS framework (HPS School), or to the Control School, in Miyun County, Beijing. From each school 20 teachers were randomly selected to complete the survey. Nutrition-related knowledge, attitudes and behaviour were measured at pre- and post-intervention surveys with the same instrument. The nutrition intervention last for six months. Findings – The holistic school-based nutrition programme using the HPS framework had no statistical impact on improving teacher’s knowledge, attitudes and behaviour in relation to nutrition (p > 0.05). Practical implications – Future holistic school-based nutrition programmes targeting adolescents should also design and implement longer and more intensive interventions for teachers focusing on how to equip them with the awareness and ability to disseminate their knowledge, positive attitudes and role model behaviours to students, rather than on how to teach them basic knowledge and skills. Originality/value – Although teachers play a critical role in the HPS framework, there is very limited published research investigating the change in teachers’ nutrition-related knowledge, attitudes and behaviour as a result of a nutrition promotion programme.

A coalition partnership of vision health through a health-promoting school program for primary school students in Taiwan

2015 ◽  
Vol 24 (3) ◽  
pp. 23-31 ◽  
Author(s):  
Li-Chun Chang ◽  
Jong-Long Guo ◽  
Li-Ling Liao ◽  
Hsiu-Ying Peng ◽  
Pei-Lin Hsieh
Keyword(s):  
Elementary Schools ◽  
School Children ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Rank Test ◽  
School Program ◽  
School Students ◽  
Post Intervention ◽  
Health Promoting School ◽  
Health Promoting ◽  
The Impact

Myopia, the most common refractive error, is the most common cause of avoidable visual impairment among children and has reached epidemic proportions among children and young adults in urban areas of East and Southeast Asia that contain populations of Chinese ancestry. Moreover, vision health is an important theme of the health-promoting school program issued by the Ministry of Education in Taiwan. The aim of this study is to assess the impact of pre- and post-intervention proposed by the health-promoting school (HPS) model. The objectives are to understand whether the HPS model influenced the vision screening results and the attitude, knowledge level, and vision care behavior of the students involved. A prospective cohort study design was used to evaluate a vision health program. Four elementary schools, local education authorities, and one university in northern Taiwan established a coalition partnership to design a six-month program to combat myopia among students. The target population was 6668 school children from local elementary schools. For the purpose of this study, the outcome of visual acuity testing (in logMAR) was analyzed with a sampling of 373 school children (aged 11–12 years old) who were chosen from high prevalence of poor vision classes. After the HPS program, the attitudes, behaviors, and knowledge levels of the school children regarding vision health were significantly improved. The pre-intervention mean logMAR of all participating students ( N = 373) was –.10, which increased to –.19 after the intervention. Analysis using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test showed that the logMAR value was significantly improved after the intervention ( t = 2.13, p < 0.05). Our findings highlight the relevance and effectiveness of the coalition’s efforts, which reinforces the usefulness of co-operatively implementing the HPS program.

scholarly journals Effects of School-Based Exergaming on Urban Children’s Physical Activity and Cardiorespiratory Fitness: A Quasi-Experimental Study

2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (21) ◽  
pp. 4080 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ye ◽  
Pope ◽  
Lee ◽  
Gao
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Cardiorespiratory Fitness ◽  
Repeated Measures ◽  
Intervention Group ◽  
Control School ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Post Intervention ◽  
School Based ◽  
Quasi Experimental ◽  
Over Time

Background: Modern-day technology is appealing to children. Few studies, however, have conducted longitudinal analyses of a school-based exergaming program’s effect on physical activity (PA) behaviors and fitness in children. Therefore, this study examined the longitudinal effect of an 8-month school-based exergaming intervention on children’s objectively-measured PA and cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF). Materials and Methods: Eighty-one fourth grade students (X̅age = 9.23 ± 0.62; 39 girls; 54.3% African American, 30.9% Non-Hispanic White, 14.8% other) participated in this study from 2014–2015. The intervention school’s children participated in a once-weekly 50-minute exergaming intervention during recess throughout the school year, while the control school continued regular recess. Children’s in-school PA and sedentary behavior (SB) were measured with ActiGraphGT3X+ accelerometers, with CRF assessed via the half-mile run. All measurements were taken at baseline, mid-intervention (four months) and post-intervention (eight months). Repeated-measures two-way ANCOVAs using age and race as covariates were conducted to examine between-school differences over time for SB, light PA (LPA), moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA), and CRF. Results: Significant time by group interactions were observed for LPA, F(1, 79) = 7.82, η2 = 0.09, p < 0.01, and MVPA, F(1, 79) = 4.58, η2 = 0.06, p < 0.05, as LPA increased among the control group, while MVPA increased among intervention group. Children in both groups experienced decreased SB during the intervention (intervention: −7.63 minutes; control: −17.59 minutes), but demonstrated lower CRF over time (intervention: +46.73 seconds; control: +61.60 seconds). Conclusions: Observations suggested that school-based exergaming implementation may be effective in increasing children’s MVPA and decreasing their SB over the course an academic year (i.e., ~eight months). More research is needed, however, to discern how modifications to school-based exergaming might also promote improved CRF in children.

scholarly journals Impact of a Pilot School-Based Nutrition Intervention on Dietary Knowledge, Attitudes, Behavior and Nutritional Status of Syrian Refugee Children in the Bekaa, Lebanon

Nutrients ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (7) ◽  
pp. 913 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marwa El Harake ◽  
Samer Kharroubi ◽  
Shadi Hamadeh ◽  
Lamis Jomaa
Keyword(s):  
Nutritional Status ◽  
Primary Schools ◽  
School Nutrition ◽  
Nutrition Intervention ◽  
Refugee Children ◽  
Post Intervention ◽  
Dietary Knowledge ◽  
Syrian Refugee ◽  
School Based ◽  
The Impact

This study evaluated the impact of a 6-month school nutrition intervention on changes in dietary knowledge, attitude, behavior (KAB) and nutritional status of Syrian refugee children. A quasi-experimental design was followed; Syrian refuge children in grades 4 to 6 were recruited from three informal primary schools (two intervention and one control) located in the rural Bekaa region of Lebanon. The intervention consisted of two main components: classroom-based education sessions and provision of locally-prepared healthy snacks. Data on household socio-demographic characteristics, KAB, anthropometric measures and dietary intake of children were collected by trained field workers at baseline and post-intervention. Of the 296 school children enrolled, 203 (68.6%) completed post-intervention measures. Significant increases in dietary knowledge (β = 1.22, 95% CI: 0.54, 1.89), attitude (β = 0.69, 95% CI: 0.08, 1.30), and body mass index-for-age-z-scores (β = 0.25, 95% CI = 0.10, 0.41) were observed among intervention vs. control groups, adjusting for covariates (p < 0.05). Compared to the control, the intervention group had, on average, significantly larger increases in daily intakes of total energy, dietary fiber, protein, saturated fat, and several key micronutrients, p < 0.05. Findings suggest a positive impact of this school-based nutrition intervention on dietary knowledge, attitude, and nutritional status of Syrian refugee children. Further studies are needed to test the feasibility and long-term impact of scaling-up such interventions.

scholarly journals What characterizes schools and students participating in health promoting school-based intervention studies? Findings from the Healthy High School study

2021 ◽  
pp. 101491
Author(s):  
Camilla Thørring Bonnesen ◽  
Johanne Aviaja Rosing ◽  
Marie Pil Jensen ◽  
Stine Kjær Wehner ◽  
Katrine Rich Madsen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
High School ◽  
Intervention Studies ◽  
School Based Intervention ◽  
School Based ◽  
School Study ◽  
Health Promoting School ◽  
Health Promoting

scholarly journals Impact of health education regarding personal hygiene and dietary habits on morbidity profile of students: an intervention study in a government secondary school in a slum area of Kolkata

2017 ◽  
Vol 4 (7) ◽  
pp. 2492
Author(s):  
Jayita Pal ◽  
Arghya K. Pal
Keyword(s):  
Health Education ◽  
Dietary Habits ◽  
Personal Hygiene ◽  
Control School ◽  
Baseline Survey ◽  
Slum Area ◽  
Post Intervention ◽  
Morbidity Score ◽  
Test Level

Background: Most of the morbidities among school children are preventable by ensuring healthy practices regarding personal hygiene and diet. The current study aimed to assess effectiveness of a health education programme regarding personal hygiene and diet in improving the morbidity profile of the adolescent girls in an urban slum. Methods: A quasi experimental study was conducted in two Government secondary schools located in a slum area of Kolkata. The study consisted of three steps. First a baseline survey with the help of a predesigned pretested questionnaire and checklist was done to find out the socio-demographic information and existing knowledge, attitude, practice of personal hygiene and dietary habits of the students. Morbidity profile of the children was also assessed. This was followed by an intervention phase of 6 months during which weekly lecture and demonstration classes were taken in the study school. Second step was reassessment of morbidities by clinical examination at post intervention. Third step was to follow them for another 3 months to reassess their morbidities. Results: There was statistically significant decrease in the prevalence of morbidities in study school from the pre-test level to post-test level as compared to the control school, but the effect was not sustained at follow up as shown by increase in mean morbidity score at 9 months follow up than 6 months post-intervention level in the study school. Conclusions: Sustained behavioral change programme regarding proper practice of personal hygiene and diet could significantly decrease the prevalence of major morbidities encountered in adolescent girl students. 

scholarly journals The implementation and effectiveness of school-based nutrition promotion programmes using a health-promoting schools approach: a systematic review

2012 ◽  
Vol 16 (6) ◽  
pp. 1082-1100 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dongxu Wang ◽  
Donald Stewart
Keyword(s):  
Social Services ◽  
School Environment ◽  
Professional Training ◽  
Nutrition Intervention ◽  
Cochrane Library ◽  
Intervention Delivery ◽  
Adequate Funding ◽  
School Based ◽  
Health Promoting Schools ◽  
Health Promoting

AbstractObjectiveTo evaluate implementation and effectiveness of nutrition promotion programmes using the health-promoting schools (HPS) approach, to indicate areas where further research is needed and to make recommendations for practice in this field.DesignThe searched electronic databases included: CINAHL, Cochrane Library, Health Reference Center, Informit Search, MEDLINE, ProQuest, PsycINFO, PubMed, ScienceDirect, Scopus, Social Services Abstracts and Web of Science. Inclusion criteria were: (i) controlled or before-and-after studies evaluating a nutrition intervention and involving the HPS approach, either fully or in part; (ii) provision of information about components and delivery of the intervention; and (iii) report on all evaluated outcomes.SettingSchools.SubjectsStudents, parents and school staff.ResultsAll included studies described intervention delivery and six reported on process evaluation. In intervention schools school environment and ethos were more supportive, appropriate curriculum was delivered and parents and/or the community were more engaged and involved. Students participated in interventions at differing levels, but the majority was satisfied with the intervention. The evidence indicates that nutrition promotion programmes using the HPS approach can increase participants’ consumption of high-fibre foods, healthier snacks, water, milk, fruit and vegetables. It can also reduce participants’ ‘breakfast skipping’, as well as reduce intakes of red food, low-nutrient dense foods, fatty and cream foods, sweet drinks consumption and eating disorders. It can help to develop hygienic habits and improved food safety behaviours.ConclusionsMore professional training for teachers in the HPS approach, further qualitative studies, longer intervention periods, improved follow-up evaluations and adequate funding are required for future school-based nutrition promotion programmes.

scholarly journals A Tele-Visit Nutrition Intervention Promoting Consumption of Healthy Foods and Beverages Among Adolescents Attending Rural Public Schools

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_2) ◽  
pp. 1350-1350
Author(s):  
Sabrina Spencer ◽  
Christi Arthur ◽  
Joshua Phelps ◽  
Reza Hakkak
Keyword(s):  
Public Schools ◽  
Nutrition Education ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Dietary Habits ◽  
Nutrition Intervention ◽  
Funding Sources ◽  
Before And After ◽  
8Th Grade ◽  
Carry Over ◽  
Sugary Beverages

Abstract Objectives The purpose of this project was to assess dietary changes related to fruit, vegetable, sugary beverage, and caffeinated beverage intakes among adolescent participants attending rural public schools who received nutrition intervention via tele-visits. Methods Students 5th–8th grade from six public schools in rural areas of Arkansas voluntarily participated in a tele-visit nutrition education intervention. Students had the opportunity to participate in up to seven tele-visit sessions over a 6-month period. Each tele-visit consisted of a 20-minute one-on-one session addressing a specific nutrition-related topic. A 16-item retrospective questionnaire assessed dietary behaviors After then Before the intervention. Wilcoxon signed-rank and exact sign tests determined if there were statistically significant differences between the number of days per week fruits, vegetables, sugary beverages, caffeinated beverages, milk, and water were consumed Before and After intervention. Results Data from 29 participants revealed a statistically significant (P = 0.03) median increase (+1.00 day/week) in drinking 8 glasses of water per day After completion of the intervention (4.00 days/week) compared to Before the intervention (3.00 days/week). While not statistically significant (P &gt; 0.05), other results indicated participants experienced positive changes in dietary habits, such as decreased frequency of soda (41% of participants), and sweet tea (41% of participants) consumption, and increased frequency of fruit (41% of participants) and vegetable (28% of participants) consumption. Conclusions While majority of results were not statistically significant, they demonstrated practical relevance among participants through positive changes in dietary habits. Use of tele-visits to reach adolescent populations in rural areas is worth further exploration, as positive changes during this age may have potential to carry-over into adulthood. Funding Sources Telehealth Network Grant Program.

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