Pilot evaluation of an interactive multimedia platform to provide nutrition education to Portuguese adolescents.

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.

Behavioral, contextual and biological factors associated with obesity during adolescence: A systematic review.

INTRODUCTION/OBJECTIVE: Adolescence is a critical period for the development of obesity. Obesity arises from a complex interaction between several factors, which are not yet fully understood. Therefore, the purpose of this review was to identify and assess the peer-reviewed scientific literature on the behavioral, contextual and biological factors associated with obesity in adolescents. METHODS: PubMed and Scopus were systematically searched to identify prospective cohort studies concerning the relation between behavioral, contextual and biological factors and obesity in adolescents aged 10 to 18 years. RESULTS: 40 studies published between the year 2000 and 2018 were included. A positive consistent association between genetic factors and obesity during adolescence was found. Also, there is evidence to support the association between socioeconomic status and obesity. There was conflicting evidence for the contribution of dietary intake, physical activity, sedentary behavior, sleep, food store environment, school food environment. For the remaining factors no associations were found, or no conclusions could be drawn due to the limited number of studies identified. CONCLUSIONS: Further prospective studies that assess multiple obesity determinants simultaneously and use state-of-art measures are warranted to aid in the development of effective strategies and interventions to prevent obesity during adolescence.