ABSTRACT
@#Introduction: Adequate daily intake of fruits and vegetables is crucial for the prevention of chronic diseases. This study aimed to determine the effects of My Body is Fit and Fabulous at School (MyBFF@school) with nutrition education intervention (NEI) on the stages of change for fruit and vegetable intake among overweight and obese secondary school children based on the trans-theoretical model (TTM). Methods: This was a cluster randomised controlled trial involving 15 out of 415 eligible government secondary schools in central Peninsular Malaysia, which were randomly assigned into intervention (six schools; 579 school children) and control (nine schools; 462 school children). The intervention group was given NEI for 24 weeks, while the control group followed the existing school programme by the Ministry of Education. Results: There was no significant difference between the intervention and control groups for the stages of change, with majority at the maintenance stage after six months (intervention: 34.9%; control: 39.0%). The within group analysis showed a significant reduction after six months for those at the action stage (action and maintenance stage) from 68.0% to 60.4% in the intervention group and from 71.4% to 65.6% in the control group. However, there was a significant increase among those with adequate fruit and vegetable intake in the intervention group and no significant increase in the control group. Conclusion: MyBFF@school with NEI based on TTM provided acceptable changes in fruit and vegetable intake among overweight and obese secondary school children.
ABSTRACT
@#Carbonated soft drinks (CSD) consumption is one of the contributing factors to weight gain, dental caries and non-communicable diseases among adolescents. This study aims to determine CSD consumption among Malaysian adolescents and their associated factors. The Adolescent Health Survey 2017, was a nationally representative survey sampled school-going adolescents aged 13 to 17 years. Findings reported that 36.9% of adolescents reported CSD consumption at least once daily in the past 30 days, and the prevalence was higher than a similar study conducted in 2012. Boys, schools in rural areas, lower secondary schoolers, not physically active, consuming fast food, having food insecurity, and truancy problem reported significantly higher odds of consuming CSD compared to their counterparts. By ethnicity, Bumiputera Sarawak adolescents showed the highest odds of consuming CSD and followed by Bumiputera Sabah. Thus, interventions to limit CSD consumption among Malaysian adolescents should consider the factors highlighted in this study.