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Skills-Based Education for Promoting Healthy Diet Among Female Adolescents: A Randomized Controlled Trial Study

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Abstract

Poor dietary habits among adolescents could cause serious health conditions in adulthood. Skill-based health education seems to be more effective than structured educational methods in increasing knowledge, changing attitudes, and improving dietary behavior among adolescents. This study aimed to assess the effects of a skills-based healthy diet education program on female adolescents' dietary knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors. This was a randomized trial study on 80 female students of two randomly selected public female high schools in Tehran, Iran. The participants were randomly assigned to an intervention and a control group. The intervention group underwent a skills-based educational program and the control group educated by a conventional lecture method. The demographic questionnaires were completed before the intervention and the Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices (KAP) questionnaires were completed three times: before, immediately after, and two months following the interventions. Data was analyzed using SPSS 21 and Repeated Measure ANOVA (RMANOVA), t-test, Mann–Whitney, Fishers exact test, and Chi Square. The knowledge increased significantly in both groups after the educational programs (p < .001). The behaviors were significantly improved only in the skills-based-education group after the intervention (p < .001). In both follow-up phases, knowledge and behaviors were significantly higher in the intervention group comparing to the control group (p < .05). Skills-based health education is more effective than routine lecture method on dietary behaviors of female adolescent. Therefore, these methods are recommended for promoting of healthy dietary behaviors.

Trial Registration IRCT201311278801N6, 2013, Iranian registry of Clinical Trial.

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Acknowledgements

We appreciate Deputy of research of Shahid Beheshti University of medical sciences for support of this project.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Midwifery and Reproductive Health, Midwifery and Reproductive Health Research Center, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

    Masoumeh Simbar & Zohreh Keshavarz

  2. Department of Midwifery, Chalous Branch, Islamic Azad University, 17 Shahrivar Street, opposite the mosque of Imam Hussain (AS), 4661961367, Chalous, Iran

    Soheila Nazarpour

  3. Department of Midwifery and Reproductive Health, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

    Zeinab Arabi

  4. Department of Biostatistics, School of Paramedical Sciences, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

    Ahmad Reza Baghestani

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  1. Masoumeh Simbar
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  2. Soheila Nazarpour
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  3. Zeinab Arabi
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  4. Zohreh Keshavarz
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  5. Ahmad Reza Baghestani
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Correspondence to Soheila Nazarpour.

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The study was approved by the ethical committee of Shahid Beheshti University of medical Sciences. It was also registered in the Iranian registry of Clinical Trial (No. IRCT201311278801N6).

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Informed, written consents were obtained from all participants and their parents.

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Simbar, M., Nazarpour, S., Arabi, Z. et al. Skills-Based Education for Promoting Healthy Diet Among Female Adolescents: A Randomized Controlled Trial Study. Child Adolesc Soc Work J 39, 87–95 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10560-020-00696-y

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