Impact of a multi-professional health promotion program at the food processing level in adolescents during holidays
摘要
School holidays can influence adolescents' food consumption, increasing access to ready-to-eat foods and reducing the number of whole foods and nutritious food options. With less structure and more free time, this period (school holidays) may negatively impact health. This study aimed to analyze the effects of a multiprofessional health promotion program on food processing levels in adolescents during school holidays. This longitudinal study with repeated measures and follow-up included 43 overweight adolescents (11.7 ± 3.1 years old). The 36-week intervention comprised 12 weeks of activities, 4 weeks post-holiday, another 12 weeks of activities, and 4 more weeks post-holiday, for a total of five time points (T1, T2, T3, T4, and T5). A 24-h food recall was used to quantify whole foods (WF), minimally processed (MP), processed (P), and ultra-processed (UP) foods in grams and kcal. The intervention consisted of weekly sessions of nutrition and psychoeducation (once a week each, ~ 35 min per session) focused on nutritional and psychological education and physical exercise (twice a week, 60 min). To verify the differences between the moments of assessment, we used analysis of variance for repeated measures (ANOVA one-way), with a significance level of 5%. Significant differences (p < 0.05) were found for age, body weight, height, BMI, z score, BMI, F, P, and UP in grams and kcal. The first holiday period (T2–T3) presented an increase in WF, which continued during the second holiday (T3–T4), alongside a reduction in P and UP (p < 0.05). The programme sustained positive dietary changes during school holidays, highlighting the potential of multiprofessional interventions in addressing adolescent obesity.