Effect of School-Based Food and Nutrition Education Interventions on the Food Consumption of Adolescents: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
What this study found
Interventions increased fruit intake by 0.09 servings per day (95% CI 0.05–0.14) and vegetable intake by 0.59 servings per week (95% CI 0.15–1.03); overall fruit-and-vegetable consumption showed no significant change (SMD 0.00, 95% CI −0.11 to 0.11). Findings favor multicomponent, theory-based school programs involving school environment changes, families, and teachers, with stronger effects on vegetables. Shorter interventions (<1 year) tended to yield significant gains; longer interventions (≥1 year) showed limited sustained effects, highlighting the need for ongoing, school-wide nutrition…
- Study & population
- Participants: adolescents aged 10–19 years (mixed gender; generally healthy; exclusions included physical or intellectual disabilities, chronic diseases, endocrine disorders, obesity, and pregnancy).
- Key limitation
- Substantial heterogeneity across FV outcomes (I2 = 66%); many trials had some concerns or high risk of bias; reliance on self-reported dietary measures; variability in intervention components, duration, and theoretical frameworks; limited generalizability of long-term effects.
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Open PDFOriginal abstract
The school is a favorable environment for the development of interventions to prevent obesity. The objective of this systematic review is to evaluate the effects of school-based food and nutrition education interventions on adolescent food consumption. The literature search was conducted on databases: MEDLINE/PubMed, Embase, Scopus, ERIC, Science Direct, Web of Science, Cochrane, LILACS, and ADOLEC. The following research strategies were focused on: population (adolescents), intervention (food and nutrition education), outcome (food consumption), and study design (clinical trial). The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) statement guidelines were followed and all stages of this review were performed by two researchers and, when necessary, a third researcher resolved discrepancies. Included studies are randomized clinical trials (RCT). A total of 24 articles were included for review and 11 articles in meta-analysis. In the evaluation of the general effects, there was a significant effect (mean difference (MD) for fruit consumption (MD = 0.09, CI 0.05, 0.14) in serving/day; and for vegetables (MD = 0.59, IC 0.15, 1.03) at times/week. In the consumption of FV (fruits and vegetables), there was no significant effect (standardized mean difference (SMD) of interventions in their consumption (SMD = 0.00, 95% C1 −0.11, 0.11). The evidence available in this review and meta-analysis concludes that food and nutrition education interventions in schools presented favorable results in the food consumption of adolescents. Registered on the PROSPERO database (CRD42019116520).