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Dietetics, Nutrition and Biological Sciences

Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://eresearch.qmu.ac.uk/handle/20.500.12289/23

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    Types of interventions targeting dietary, physical activity, and weight-related outcomes among university students: a systematic review of systematic reviews
    (Oxford University Press, 2019-06-10) Belogianni, Katerina; Baldwin, Christine
    A plethora of studies aiming to improve dietary, physical activity (PA), and weight-related (WR) outcomes among university students have been implemented and summarized in a series of systematic reviews, with unclear conclusions regarding their effectiveness. This overview aims to identify systematic reviews and meta-analyses of studies aiming to improve health outcomes in university students, to assess their methodological quality, to identify the different types of interventions used and outcomes assessed, and to estimate their overall effect. Four electronic databases were searched until 19 March, 2018 following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. The identified reviews were described and their methodological quality was rated. The studies of reviews were investigated to identify the different types of interventions used and outcomes assessed. Effectiveness was assessed by measuring the overall number of improved outcomes out of the total number of outcomes reported. As a result, 8 reviews were identified targeting food sales (n = 2), dietary (n = 3), PA (n = 1), WR (n = 1), or all outcomes (n = 1). The methodological quality of the reviews was moderate (n = 5) to low (n = 3). In all, the reviews included 122 studies, of which 36 used an environmental, 51 a face-to-face, 30 an e-intervention, and 5 a combined approach. Environmental interventions improved a moderate number of food sales (32 of 61) and dietary intake (22 of 47) outcomes. Face-to-face interventions improved a high number of dietary cognitive outcomes (15 of 18), a moderate number of dietary intake (28 of 65) and WR (11 of 18) outcomes, and a low number of PA behavioral (22 of 69) and cognitive (2 of 14) outcomes. E-interventions improved a high number of dietary cognitive variables (11 of 16) but had a low effect (≤33%) on the other types of outcomes. In conclusion, face-to-face and e-interventions improved cognitive variables toward diet or PA but were less effective in changing actual behaviors. Environmental interventions favorably changed food sales. Face-to-face and e-interventions moderately affected WR outcomes. Future research should focus on long-term studies.
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    Rationale and design of an online educational program using game-based learning to improve nutrition and physical activity outcomes among university students in the United Kingdom
    (Taylor & Francis, 2018-08-02) Belogianni, Katerina; Ooms, Ann; Ahmed, Hafez; Nikoletou, Dimitra; Grant, Robert; Makris, Dimitrios; Moir, Hannah J.
    Objective: To assess the impact of an online game-based educational program on nutrition knowledge and dietary and physical activity habits among university students in the United Kingdom. Design: Randomized controlled trial with pre- and postintervention comparisons. Setting: Two higher education settings in London, UK. Subjects: Current undergraduate and postgraduate students of two universities (n = 88) aged 18–34 years are randomly allocated to an intervention (n = 44) or a control group (n = 44). Intervention: The intervention group will receive access to an educational website and online quizzes with gamification elements, including information about healthy eating and physical activity. The control group will receive no information. Duration of the intervention will be 10 weeks. Measures of Outcome: Primary outcome is nutrition knowledge. Secondary outcomes include dietary and activity habits. Nutrition knowledge and dietary and activity habits will be assessed using questionnaires. Weekly steps will be counted using pedometers. Assessment of anthropometric and metabolic risk factors will take place. Analysis: Quantitative analysis will investigate changes in nutrition knowledge between the two groups of the study population. Linear regression analysis will be used, if the data follow the normal distribution (otherwise binomial regression analysis), to examine whether field of study, residence status, body mass index (BMI), and demographic factors affect nutrition knowledge. Associations between changes in knowledge and dietary and physical activity behavior will be assessed by correlations. Conclusions/Implications: The study will provide insights with regard to the design and use of online game-playing as a cost-effective approach to improve nutritional knowledge among university students.