Delivering in‐school interventions to improve dietary behaviours amongst 11‐ to 16‐year‐olds: <scp>A</scp> systematic review

Calvert, Sian; Dempsey, Robert C.; Povey, Rachel

doi:10.1111/obr.12797

Cited by 28 publications

(44 citation statements)

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“…The latest research evidence strongly indicates that successful interventions with adolescents are as follows: (i) multi-component, (ii) involve schools, (iii) engage and motivate adolescents to change their health behaviours and (iv) involve social support from friends and parents [23,24]. In addition, digital platforms show potential as complementary features in complex interventions targeting health behaviour change and are particularly relevant to this age group.…”

Section: Background and Rationalementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Interventions to improve adolescents' diet and PA have been implemented with varying success; effective engagement with, and motivation of, adolescents remains a pertinent issue. Gender-specific issues should not be overlooked, and positive effects post-intervention may not be apparent in the short-term, making medium and longer-term measures important [24,27,28]. Many interventions favour combining health and nutrition education with behavioural skills training, even though evidence suggests that adolescents are not ignorant about the health implications of their food choices and PA habits, nor are they motivated by health in the distant future [29,30].…”

Section: Background and Rationalementioning

confidence: 99%

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Engaging adolescents in changing behaviour (EACH-B): a study protocol for a cluster randomised controlled trial to improve dietary quality and physical activity

Strömmer

Barrett

Woods-Townsend

et al. 2020

Trials

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Background Poor diet and lack of physical activity are strongly linked to non-communicable disease risk, but modifying them is challenging. There is increasing recognition that adolescence is an important time to intervene; habits formed during this period tend to last, and physical and psychological changes during adolescence make it an important time to help individuals form healthier habits. Improving adolescents’ health behaviours is important not only for their own health now and in adulthood, but also for the health of any future children. Building on LifeLab—an existing, purpose-built educational facility at the University of Southampton—we have developed a multi-component intervention for secondary school students called Engaging Adolescents in Changing Behaviour (EACH-B) that aims to motivate and support adolescents to eat better and be more physically active. Methods A cluster randomised controlled trial is being conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of the EACH-B intervention. The primary outcomes of the intervention are self-reported dietary quality and objectively measured physical activity (PA) levels, both assessed at baseline and at 12-month follow-up. The EACH-B intervention consists of three linked elements: professional development for teachers including training in communication skills to support health behaviour change; the LifeLab educational module comprising in-school teaching of nine science lessons linked to the English National Curriculum and a practical day visit to the LifeLab facility; and a personalised digital intervention that involves social support and game features that promote eating better and being more active. Both the taught module and the LifeLab day are designed with a focus on the science behind the messages about positive health behaviours, such as diet and PA, for the adolescents now, in adulthood and their future offspring, with the aim of promoting personal plans for change. The EACH-B research trial aims to recruit approximately 2300 secondary school students aged 12–13 years from 50 schools (the clusters) from Hampshire and neighbouring counties. Participating schools will be randomised to either the control or intervention arm. The intervention will be run during two academic years, with continual recruitment of schools throughout the school year until the sample size is reached. The schools allocated to the control arm will receive normal schooling but will be offered the intervention after data collection for the trial is complete. An economic model will be developed to assess the cost-effectiveness of the EACH-B intervention compared with usual schooling. Discussion Adolescents’ health needs are often ignored and they can be difficult to engage in behaviour change. Building a cheap, sustainable way of engaging them in making healthier choices will benefit their long-term health and that of their future children. Trial registration ISRCTN 74109264. Registered on 30 August 2019. EACH-B is a cluster randomised controlled trial, funded by the National Institute for Health Research (RP-PG-0216-20004).

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Section: Background and Rationalementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Background and Rationalementioning

confidence: 99%

Engaging adolescents in changing behaviour (EACH-B): a study protocol for a cluster randomised controlled trial to improve dietary quality and physical activity

Strömmer

Barrett

Woods-Townsend

et al. 2020

Trials

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…The latest research evidence strongly indicates that successful interventions with adolescents are: i) multi-component, ii) involve schools, iii) engage and motivate adolescents to change their health behaviours, and iv) involve social support from friends and parents (23,24). In addition, digital platforms show potential as complementary features in complex interventions targeting health behaviour change, and are particularly relevant to this age group.…”

Section: Background and Rationalementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Interventions to improve adolescents' diet and PA have been implemented with varying success; effective engagement with, and motivation of, adolescents remains a pertinent issue. Gender-speci c issues should not be overlooked, and positive effects post-intervention may not be apparent in the short-term, making medium and longer-term measures important (24,27,28). Many interventions favour combining health and nutrition education with behavioural skills training, even though evidence suggests that adolescents are not ignorant about the health implications of their food choices and PA habits, nor are they motivated by health in the distant future (29,30).…”

Section: Background and Rationalementioning

confidence: 99%

Engaging adolescents in changing behaviour (EACH-B): A study protocol for a cluster randomised controlled trial

Strömmer¹,

Barrett²,

Woods-Townsend³

et al. 2020

Preprint

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BackgroundPoor diet and lack of physical activity are strongly linked to non-communicable disease risk, but modifying them is challenging. There is increasing recognition that adolescence is an important time to intervene; habits formed during this period tend to last, and physical and psychological changes during adolescence make it an important time to help individuals form healthier habits. Improving adolescents’ health behaviours is important not only for their own health now and in adulthood, but also for the health of any future children. Building on LifeLab - an existing, purpose-built educational facility at the University of Southampton - we have developed a multi-component intervention for secondary school students called Engaging Adolescents in Changing Behaviour (EACH-B) that aims to motivate and support adolescents to eat better and be more physically active.MethodsA cluster randomised controlled trial is being conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of the EACH-B intervention. The primary outcomes of the intervention are self-reported dietary quality and objectively measured physical activity (PA) levels, both assessed at baseline and at 12-month follow-up. The EACH-B intervention consists of three linked elements: professional development for teachers including training in communication skills to support health behaviour change; the LifeLab educational module comprising in-school teaching of nine science lessons linked to the English National Curriculum and a practical day visit to the LifeLab facility; and a personalised digital intervention that involves social support and game features that promote eating better and being more active. Both the taught module and the LifeLab day are designed with a focus on the science behind the messages about positive health behaviours, such as diet and PA, for the adolescents now, in adulthood and their future offspring, with the aim of promoting personal plans for change. The EACH-B research trial aims to recruit approximately 2,300 secondary school students aged 12-13 years from 50 schools (the clusters) from Hampshire and neighbouring counties. Participating schools will be randomised to either the control or intervention arm. The intervention will be run during two academic years, with continual recruitment of schools throughout the school year until the sample size is reached. The schools allocated to the control arm will receive normal schooling but will be offered the intervention after data collection for the trial is complete. An economic model will be developed to assess the cost-effectiveness of the EACH-B intervention compared with usual schooling.DiscussionAdolescents’ health needs are often ignored and they can be difficult to engage in behaviour change. Building a cheap, sustainable way of engaging them in making healthier choices will benefit their long-term health and that of their future children.Trial registrationEACH-B is a cluster randomised controlled trial (ISRCTN 74109264, registered 30th August 2019), funded by the National Institute for Health Research (RP-PG-0216-20004).

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“…However, it has also been argued that the school setting can play a role in the development and maintenance of overweight and obesity through the promotion of high‐energy food intake and sedentary behaviour (Swinburn et al ; Ermetici et al ; Townshend & Lake ). Modifying the school environment, particularly targeting health promotion and dietary change, has the potential to support the development of healthy lifestyle habits that can be carried into adulthood (Calvert et al ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The EIT Food School Network: Integrating solutions to improve eating habits and reduce food wastage in secondary schoolchildren

et al. 2019

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Most European children and adolescents do not meet dietary guidelines. Therefore, there is a need to develop and implement effective strategies to help young people adopt healthier dietary habits and maintain these into adulthood. The amount of time that children and adolescents spend in the school setting makes this an ideal environment in which to develop interventions that target healthy eating. Schools, however, are complex systems and a whole‐school approach that promotes consistent messages within the school environment and across the curriculum is needed to support positive food choices. Given current concerns about climate change and the environment, it is also important to ensure that any nutrition interventions implemented in the school setting are environmentally friendly and do not increase food wastage. This paper presents the results of stakeholder discussions on the topic of secondary school food in Northern Ireland, conducted as part of the recently developed European Institute for Innovation and Technology (EIT) Food School Network. The Network was established to facilitate the exchange of information within existing national schools programmes and to identify and develop strategies that positively impact on food choice and food wastage in schools across Europe. Improving schools’ adherence to the Food in Schools Policy and engaging pupils and parents to encourage a sense of ‘ownership’ of the school food system were identified as potential ways to positively impact on the dietary habits of children and adolescents.

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Delivering in‐school interventions to improve dietary behaviours amongst 11‐ to 16‐year‐olds: A systematic review

Abstract: Childhood obesity is a global health concern, which has both short-and long-term health consequences for the individual, and is a potential burden on health care services and the wider economy. The school environment is a setting where changes

Cited by 28 publications

References 88 publications

Engaging adolescents in changing behaviour (EACH-B): a study protocol for a cluster randomised controlled trial to improve dietary quality and physical activity

Engaging adolescents in changing behaviour (EACH-B): a study protocol for a cluster randomised controlled trial to improve dietary quality and physical activity

Engaging adolescents in changing behaviour (EACH-B): A study protocol for a cluster randomised controlled trial

The EIT Food School Network: Integrating solutions to improve eating habits and reduce food wastage in secondary schoolchildren

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