12Month changes in dietary intake of adolescent girls attending schools in low-income communities following the NEAT Girls cluster randomized controlled trial

Abstract

Poor dietary habits and obesity are more prevalent in lower socio-economic status (SES) communities. The NEAT Girls cluster randomized controlled trial was a school-based obesity prevention program targeting adolescent girls in low SES schools in NSW, Australia. The aim was to evaluate the 12-month impact of key nutrition program messages on dietary intake and food behaviors. Diet was assessed using a validated semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire (FFQ). Individual foods were categorized into nutrient-dense or energy-dense, nutrient-poor food groups and the percentage contribution to total energy intake calculated. Participants were aged 13.2±0.5years (n=330). There were no statistically significant group-by-time effects for dietary intake or food related behaviors, with 12-month trends suggesting more intervention group girls had improved water intakes (59% consuming⩽three glasses per day to 54% at 12 months vs. 50% to 61% in controls, p=0.052), with a greater proportion consuming < one sweetened beverage per day (24-41% vs. 34-37% in controls, p=0.057). Further research including more intensive nutrition intervention strategies are required to evaluate whether dietary intake in adolescent girls attending schools in low SES communities can be optimized.

Dietary intake and meal frequency of Brazilian girls attending a school-based randomized controlled trial

“…Having an estimate of the servings of the food groups, each group was multiplied by the equivalent amount of calories from the eight groups (Philippi, 2014), and, finally, the groups were added and the total energy intake was calculated. Energy intake Ͻ 500 kcal and Ͼ 5.000 kcal were removed from database (57 from baseline and 29 post-intervention) (Collins et al, 2014;Leal et al, 2010). The eight food pyramid groups were divided into four levels according to their main nutrient composition:…”

“…Outside of the home, school-based settings are the only institutions that have a continuous and intensive connection with children and adolescents during the first two decades of life and are a socialization agent that can favorably influence the health of children (Robinson et al, 2014). Although school-based obesity prevention programs with Brazilian adolescents are limited (Guerra et al, 2014), methodologically rigorous trials have demonstrated that these interventions can improve diet in youth (Collins et al, 2014;Neumark-Sztainer et al, 2010;Smith et al, 2014b;Singh et al, 2009). Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of a school-based obesity prevention program targeting Brazilian adolescent girls on dietary intake and meal frequency.…”

The “Healthy Habits, Healthy Girls” randomized controlled trial for girls: study design, protocol, and baseline results

“…The NEAT Girl studies have targeted inactive adolescent girls from low-income backgrounds ("at risk" for obesity). Although NEAT Girls did not alter the primary outcome (BMI), it presented small changes in other health behaviors such as PA, screen time, and dietary intake 11,40 . Likewise, the New Moves intervention program targeted adolescent girls who were overweight or "at risk" for obesity 23 .…”

Home food availability, parents’/caregivers’ support, and family meals influence on dietary servings of low-income urban adolescent girls from Brazil

“…Thus, the number of servings from the food groups were calculated and used as the dependent variables in the analyses. Energy intake ≤500 kcal and ≥5000 kcal were removed from database (57 from baseline) [25].…”