Digital Versus Hybrid Interventions in Promoting Nutrition Knowledge Among Saudi Adolescent Girls

Summary

This study primarily aims to compare the efficacy of different approaches to nutrition education intervention delivery in improving nutrition knowledge (NK) among Saudi adolescent girls. A secondary aim is to compare the effectiveness of these interventions in enhancing dietary habits and reducing Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) scores.A randomized sample of 104 Saudi adolescent girls aged 16-18 years from a single high school in Makkah city enrolled in a 4-week lifestyle educational intervention for health promotion. Participants were randomly assigned to either a hybrid or a fully digital nutritional education program. Outcome measures included knowledge (NK), dietary and lifestyle habits assessed by the Healthy Plate Variety Score (HPVS), and mental health evaluated using the Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) scores.

Conditions

• Nutrition Knowledge
• Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)
• Food Habits
• Body Mass Index

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

Hybrid therapy

Hybrid intervention that combined face-to-face educational sessions with the integration of technological advancements. They attended weekly 40-minute interactive educational sessions over the course of a month. The educational materials encompass information regarding the components of a healthy balanced diet and an active lifestyle.Throughout the intervention, participants were provided with a range of behavior change techniques to support participants in applying the educational content to improve their dietary and lifestyle habits. The employed behavior change techniques were SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, time-bound) goal setting, reviewing behavioral goals, problem-solving and environmental restructuring. The technological support for this intervention included the use of a smartphone diet tracker app called MyFitneesPal as well as communication with the interventionists via WhatsApp.

BEHAVIORAL

Fully digital

Fully digital intervention, where they received the same educational materials through WhatsApp twice a week over the course of one month. The educational materials were presented through easily understandable posters, brief videos, and followed by short quizzes to reinforce the acquired knowledge. Additionally, the digital intervention incorporated the same behavior change strategies that were utilized in the hybrid group. Participants were also introduced to MyFittnessPal application in order to help them track their dietary habits and monitor their progress since it is considered a tool for self-monitoring and promoting healthy dietary behaviors throughout the intervention period.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Umm Al-Qura University

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Mai A Ghabashi, PhD · Umm Al-Qura University

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

SUPPORTIVE_CARE

Masking

NONE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

15 Years

Max Age

19 Years

Sex

FEMALE

Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2023-11-01

Primary Completion

2023-12-31

Completion

2024-12-31

Countries

• Saudi Arabia

Study Locations