Impact of a Nutrition-Related Community Intervention on the Quantity and Quality of Children’s School <i>almuerzo</i>
Foods and beverages that schoolchildren carry in their lunchboxes have high energy values but lack plain water, fresh fruits and vegetables. A nutrition-related community intervention on the quantity and quality of school <i>almuerzo</i> was performed, in which four primary schools parti...
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| Format: | Article |
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MDPI AG
2021-03-01
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| Series: | Life |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2075-1729/11/3/253 |
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| author | Jenny Vilchis-Gil Miguel Klünder-Klünder Ximena Duque Gloria Martínez-Andrade Andrea Martínez-Almaráz Brenda Beristain-Lujano Samuel Flores-Huerta |
| author_facet | Jenny Vilchis-Gil Miguel Klünder-Klünder Ximena Duque Gloria Martínez-Andrade Andrea Martínez-Almaráz Brenda Beristain-Lujano Samuel Flores-Huerta |
| author_sort | Jenny Vilchis-Gil |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Foods and beverages that schoolchildren carry in their lunchboxes have high energy values but lack plain water, fresh fruits and vegetables. A nutrition-related community intervention on the quantity and quality of school <i>almuerzo</i> was performed, in which four primary schools participated, as part of two groups: 225 children in the intervention group (IG) and 177 children in the control group (CG). The parents from the IG had access to a website where they could consult information on eating habits and physical activity or school <i>almuerzo</i> menus. They were sent weekly text messages on their mobile phones and attended in-person sessions. Anthropometric measurements and surveys were performed in both groups at the start of the study, as well as after 6 and 12 months. The school <i>almuerzo</i> was assessed by recording foods that the children brought in their lunchboxes. At baseline, 88% of children brought a school <i>almuerzo</i>, 37% fruit, 17% vegetables, 40% plain water and 50% sweet drinks. In both groups, 50% of children brought a school <i>almuerzo</i> with an energy value above the recommended value (>340 kcal) during follow-up; however, the percentage of children who brought sweet drinks decreased (<i>p</i> < 0.05), with sweet drinks contributing between 26% and 33% of the calories in the school <i>almuerzo</i>. In the IG, the quantity in milliliters of plain water increased at the end of the follow-up period (<i>p</i> = 0.044). From the point of view of food-and-beverage quantity and quality, school <i>almuerzo</i> were unhealthy for both groups. The intervention failed to increase the frequency with which parents provided children with school <i>almuerzo</i> or enhance the quality of the latter. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T13:06:14Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-d83250ab4a484f1aa61b40af469e49fd |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2075-1729 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T13:06:14Z |
| publishDate | 2021-03-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Life |
| spelling | doaj.art-d83250ab4a484f1aa61b40af469e49fd2023-11-21T11:08:20ZengMDPI AGLife2075-17292021-03-0111325310.3390/life11030253Impact of a Nutrition-Related Community Intervention on the Quantity and Quality of Children’s School <i>almuerzo</i>Jenny Vilchis-Gil0Miguel Klünder-Klünder1Ximena Duque2Gloria Martínez-Andrade3Andrea Martínez-Almaráz4Brenda Beristain-Lujano5Samuel Flores-Huerta6Epidemiological Research Unit in Endocrinology and Nutrition, Hospital Infantil de México Federico Gomez, Ministry of Health (SSA), 06720 Mexico City, MexicoDeputy Director of Research, Mexico Children’s Hospital Federico Gómez, 06720 Mexico City, MexicoInfectious Diseases Research Unit, Pediatric Hospital, Mexican Institute of Social Security, 06600 Mexico City, MexicoEpidemiological and Health Services Research Unit, Mexican Institute of Social Security, 06600 Mexico City, MexicoEpidemiological Research Unit in Endocrinology and Nutrition, Hospital Infantil de México Federico Gomez, Ministry of Health (SSA), 06720 Mexico City, MexicoEpidemiological Research Unit in Endocrinology and Nutrition, Hospital Infantil de México Federico Gomez, Ministry of Health (SSA), 06720 Mexico City, MexicoEpidemiological Research Unit in Endocrinology and Nutrition, Hospital Infantil de México Federico Gomez, Ministry of Health (SSA), 06720 Mexico City, MexicoFoods and beverages that schoolchildren carry in their lunchboxes have high energy values but lack plain water, fresh fruits and vegetables. A nutrition-related community intervention on the quantity and quality of school <i>almuerzo</i> was performed, in which four primary schools participated, as part of two groups: 225 children in the intervention group (IG) and 177 children in the control group (CG). The parents from the IG had access to a website where they could consult information on eating habits and physical activity or school <i>almuerzo</i> menus. They were sent weekly text messages on their mobile phones and attended in-person sessions. Anthropometric measurements and surveys were performed in both groups at the start of the study, as well as after 6 and 12 months. The school <i>almuerzo</i> was assessed by recording foods that the children brought in their lunchboxes. At baseline, 88% of children brought a school <i>almuerzo</i>, 37% fruit, 17% vegetables, 40% plain water and 50% sweet drinks. In both groups, 50% of children brought a school <i>almuerzo</i> with an energy value above the recommended value (>340 kcal) during follow-up; however, the percentage of children who brought sweet drinks decreased (<i>p</i> < 0.05), with sweet drinks contributing between 26% and 33% of the calories in the school <i>almuerzo</i>. In the IG, the quantity in milliliters of plain water increased at the end of the follow-up period (<i>p</i> = 0.044). From the point of view of food-and-beverage quantity and quality, school <i>almuerzo</i> were unhealthy for both groups. The intervention failed to increase the frequency with which parents provided children with school <i>almuerzo</i> or enhance the quality of the latter.https://www.mdpi.com/2075-1729/11/3/253childschool <i>almuerzo</i>early interventionpreventionobesity |
| spellingShingle | Jenny Vilchis-Gil Miguel Klünder-Klünder Ximena Duque Gloria Martínez-Andrade Andrea Martínez-Almaráz Brenda Beristain-Lujano Samuel Flores-Huerta Impact of a Nutrition-Related Community Intervention on the Quantity and Quality of Children’s School <i>almuerzo</i> Life child school <i>almuerzo</i> early intervention prevention obesity |
| title | Impact of a Nutrition-Related Community Intervention on the Quantity and Quality of Children’s School <i>almuerzo</i> |
| title_full | Impact of a Nutrition-Related Community Intervention on the Quantity and Quality of Children’s School <i>almuerzo</i> |
| title_fullStr | Impact of a Nutrition-Related Community Intervention on the Quantity and Quality of Children’s School <i>almuerzo</i> |
| title_full_unstemmed | Impact of a Nutrition-Related Community Intervention on the Quantity and Quality of Children’s School <i>almuerzo</i> |
| title_short | Impact of a Nutrition-Related Community Intervention on the Quantity and Quality of Children’s School <i>almuerzo</i> |
| title_sort | impact of a nutrition related community intervention on the quantity and quality of children s school i almuerzo i |
| topic | child school <i>almuerzo</i> early intervention prevention obesity |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2075-1729/11/3/253 |
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