Malnutrition in Children, Obesity, Overweight, Undernutrition
Conditions
Keywords
Community-Based Intervention, Malnutrition, nutrition education, Ethnic Minority Children
Brief summary
The goal of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of a nutrition health education intervention among ethnic minority children aged 5-16 years in Tra Vinh Province, Vietnam. It will also assess factors associated with nutritional status in this population. The main questions it aims to answer are: Does the nutrition health education intervention improve nutritional status? Does the intervention improve nutrition-related knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP)? Does the intervention improve diet quality and physical activity levels among participants? Researchers will compare participants receiving the nutrition education intervention with control group to evaluate the effectiveness of the intervention. Participants in intervention group will: Participate in a structured nutrition education program delivered monthly for 4 months through interactive lessons, videos, and educational materials Receive ongoing support and reinforcement activities for an additional 2 months Attend baseline and follow-up assessments including anthropometric measurements and interviews Complete questionnaires on nutrition knowledge, dietary practices, and physical activity
Interventions
BEHAVIORALNutrition Health Education
A multi-component nutrition health education program delivered through community-based and school-based models. For children aged 5-10 years, both children and their caregivers participate in nutrition education sessions at local health stations. For children aged 11-16 years, the intervention is delivered at ethnic minority boarding schools. The program consists of four monthly structured sessions using presentations and videos, supported by interactive posters, nutrition leaflets, and dietary and physical activity diaries. The key topics include: (1) nutrients and health, (2) prevention of undernutrition and overweight/obesity, (3) healthy dietary habits, and (4) physical activity promotion. The intervention lasts four months, followed by a two-month maintenance phase with reinforcement by community health workers, school staff, and family engagement.
Sponsors
University of Medicine and Pharmacy at Ho Chi Minh City
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
PREVENTION
Masking
NONE
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
5 Years to 16 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
* Ethnic minority children aged 5-16 years * Living in selected communities or attending selected schools * Consent from parents/caregivers and assent from children
Exclusion criteria
* Congenital deformities affecting anthropometry * Medical conditions affecting body composition measurement * Inability to participate in interviews
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Change in BMI-for-age z-score | Baseline and 6 months | Weight and height will be combined to report BMI in kilogram/meters\^2. BMI-for-age z-score calculated according to the 2007 WHO growth standards. |
| Change in prevalence of malnutrition (including undernutrition and overweight/obesity) | Baseline and 6 months | Proportion of participants with abnormal nutritional status, including undernutrition (stunting, underweight, or thinness) and overweight/obesity, classified according to WHO growth reference standards based on age- and sex-specific z-scores. |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Change in nutrition-related knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) | Baseline and 6 months | Nutrition knowledge, attitudes, and practices assessed using a structured questionnaire developed based on the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations Guidelines for assessing nutrition-related knowledge, attitudes and practices. Knowledge scores ranged from 0 to 11, attitude scores from 0 to 17, and practice scores from 0 to 8, with higher scores indicating better nutrition knowledge, more favorable nutrition attitudes, and better nutrition practices. |
| Change in diet quality scores | Baseline and 6 months | Diet quality was assessed using the Diet Quality Questionnaire (DQQ), including the Dietary Diversity Score (DDS) and the Global Dietary Recommendations (GDR) score. The Dietary Diversity Score (DDS) ranges from 0 to 10 based on the number of food groups consumed, with higher scores indicating greater dietary diversity. The Global Dietary Recommendations (GDR) score ranges from 0 to 18 and reflects adherence to global dietary recommendations for protection against non-communicable diseases, with higher scores indicating better adherence to recommended dietary patterns. |
| Change in physical activity levels | Baseline and 6 months | Physical activity levels assessed using a standardized questionnaire, including frequency and duration of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity. |
| Change in skeletal muscle mass | Baseline and 6 months | Skeletal muscle mass (SMM), measured in kilograms using bioelectrical impedance analysis with an InBody analyzer. |
| Change in body fat mass | Baseline and 6 months | Body fat mass (BFM), measured in kilograms using bioelectrical impedance analysis with an InBody analyzer. |
| Change in fat-free mass | Baseline and 6 months | Fat-free mass (FFM), measured in kilograms using bioelectrical impedance analysis with an InBody analyzer. |
Countries
Vietnam
Contacts
PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATORTruc T Thanh, PhD
University of Medicine and Pharmacy at Ho Chi Minh City
Outcome results
None listed