Effective obesity interventions in adolescent populations have been identified as an immediate priority action to stem the increasing prevalence of adult obesity. The purpose of this meta-analysis was to make a quantitative analysis of the impact of school-based interventions on body mass index during adolescence. Studies were retrieved from PubMed, Scopus, Science Direct and Web of Science databases. Results were pooled using a random-effects model with 95% confidence interval considered statistically significant. Of the 18 798 possible relevant articles identified, 12 articles were included in this meta-analysis. The global result showed a low magnitude effect, though it was statistically significant (N = 14 428), global e.s. = −0.055, P = 0.004 (95% CI = −0.092, −0.017). Heterogeneity was low among the studies (I2 = 9.017%). The funnel plot showed no evidence of publication bias. The rank-correlation test of Begg (P = 0.45641) and Egger’s regression (P = 0.19459) confirmed the absence of bias. This meta-analysis reported a significant effect favoring the interventions; however, future research are needed since the reported the evidence was of low magnitude, with the studies following a substantial range of approaches and mostly had a modest methodological quality.
Background
Obesity prevalence has been rising worldwide and currently is one of the most serious public health problems. Nutrition literacy is important to the development of healthier habits that could help prevent and stem obesity and overweight. The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of using a multimedia web platform to provide nutrition education to Portuguese adolescents.
Methods
The intervention consisted in a two-week period in which students (n = 1291) had access to an interactive multimedia web platform with nutritional content, and designed for a self-paced learning experience. Students completed a knowledge questionnaire at baseline and immediately after the end of the intervention.
Results
The results obtained revealed that 85.8% of the students increased their nutrition knowledge. No gender differences were observed post-intervention. There were significant differences in the knowledge acquisition regarding age (P < 0.001). The baseline knowledge seemed to influence the learning process.
Conclusions
Overall, the intervention had a positive impact. The preliminary results observed will be important for the improvement of the intervention, though they need to be confirmed by further research. Nevertheless, it is safe to say that technology-based assets can be important tools to incorporate and complement health-related interventions in schools.
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