Evaluation of a nutrition intervention in adolescents of an urban area in Greece: short- and long-term effects of the VYRONAS study

Public Health Nutrition

Theodoros Mariolis-Sapsakos¹  Yannis Manios¹  Yannis Tountas¹  Androniki Naska¹  Constantinos Mihas¹  Angeliki Arapaki¹  Anargiros Mariolis¹ 

关键词: Adolescents;    Children;    Nutrition;    Primary health care;    Intervention;   

DOI  :  10.1017/S1368980009991625

学科分类：卫生学

来源: Cambridge University Press

【 摘 要 】

ObjectiveTo assess the short-term (15-d) and long-term (12-month) effects of a school-based health and nutrition education intervention on diet, nutrition intake and BMI.DesignThe 12-week teacher-implemented intervention in combination with seminars organized for parents was aimed at improving children’s diet and nutrition knowledge. The intervention took place between September 2007 and January 2008. The participants were randomized to two study groups, the intervention group (IG) and control group (CG), and were examined prior to the intervention on a variety of health knowledge, dietary, behavioural and anthropometric indices. The same measurements were collected 15 d and 1 year after the intervention.SettingAll high schools in Vyronas, a densely populated district of Athens, Greece.SubjectsThe sample consisted of 191 students aged 12–13 years.ResultsTwelve months after the intervention, the programme was effective in reducing various indices in the IG compared with baseline findings (BMI: 23·3 (sd 2·8) v. 24·0 (sd 3·1) kg/m2, P < 0·001; daily energy intake: 8112·4 (sd 1412·4) v. 8503·3 (sd 1419·3) kJ/d, P < 0·001; total fat intake: 31·3 (sd 4·4) v. 35·4 (sd 4·7) % of daily energy, P < 0·001). Except for BMI, decreases in the aforementioned indices were also observed 15 d after the intervention. In addition, students of the IG reduced their weekly consumption of red meat and non-home-made meals and increased their frequency of fruit and breakfast cereal consumption.ConclusionsThe beneficial effects of this nutrition education intervention among adolescents may highlight the potential of such programmes in the prevention of obesity.

【 授权许可】

Unknown