Outcomes On Psycholosocial Factors And Nutrition-Related Quality Of Life: Evaluation Of A 10-Week Nutrition Education Intervention In University Students

Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of nutrition education intervention among university students in terms of social, psychological factors and nutrition-related Quality of Life (NQoL) outcomes after receiving a 10-week nutrition education. Longitudinal and randomised study design was adopted for the study. Methods: A total of 417 respondents from four public universities in Terengganu were randomly assigned to either intervention group (IG = 205) or control group (CG = 212). The IG received nutrition education through three tools; 1) conventional lecture, 2) brochures and 3) text messages via short messaging system (SMS) while the CG not received any intervention. Students completed the Malay version of NQoL (6 domains; 49 items; Likert-type responses=1-5) and SF-36 (8 domains; 36 items) at pre-intervention and post-intervention. Data analysis was carried out by using SPSS 16.0 utilising descriptive and parametric statistics. Results: Ninety-one percent of participants (IG = 178; CG = 202) completed the study (age = 19.1±1.1 years; female = 87.6%; Malay = 98.2%). After controlling for possible confounders (eg. weight, waist, hip circumferences and pre-intervention scores for each domain), IG possessed relatively higher NQoL score in Food Impact (p = 0.001), Social / Interpersonal (p = 0.008), Physical Functioning (p = 0.011) and Overall NQoL (p = 0.001). However, Psychological Factors did not show any significant difference for both groups. Conclusion: Although the intervention did not generate significant impact in the psychological component over a period of 10 weeks, significant positive impacts in Social/Interpersonal aspects and NQoL were clearly shown.

Multimodal Nutrition Education Intervention: A Cluster Randomised Controlled Trial Study on Weight Gain and Physical Activity Pattern Among University Students in Terengganu, Malaysia

Introduction: This cluster randomised controlled study design aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of implementing nutrition education intervention (NEI) that targeted at incremental reduction of body weight and increased physical activity level among university students. Methods: Body weight and physical activity level were assessed before and after intervention. A total of 417 university students from four public universities in Terengganu participated in the study. They were randomly selected and assigned into two arms, that is, intervention group (IG) or control group (CG) according to their cluster. The IG received 10 weeks intervention focused on NEI promotion using three modes which were conventional lecture, three brochures as take-home messages and text messages for intervention reinforcement while CG did not receive any intervention. Analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) and adjusted effect size were used to determine differences in body weight and physical activity levels between groups and time. Results: No significant changes in body weight were observed among both groups. The average weight and body mass index (BM!) were slightly reduced in IG compared to CG after the 10-week intervention (p>0.05). Nevertheless, physical activity level improved significantly among IG participants compared to CG with increased metabolic equivalent (MET) min/ week spent for walking, moderate and vigorous activities and significantly decreased sitting time. The largest adjusted effect size was shown in total physical activity (0.75). Conclusion: The multimodal NEI had a positive influence on physical activity outcomes among university students. NEI should be continuously implemented in this particular population group.