Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Clinical Trial
. 2021 May 18;13(5):1712.
doi: 10.3390/nu13051712.

Impacts of a School-Based Intervention That Incorporates Nutrition Education and a Supportive Healthy School Canteen Environment among Primary School Children in Malaysia

Choon Huey Teo  1   2 , Yit Siew Chin  1   3 , Poh Ying Lim  4 , Shahril Azian Haji Masrom  5 , Zalilah Mohd Shariff  1
Affiliations
Clinical Trial

Impacts of a School-Based Intervention That Incorporates Nutrition Education and a Supportive Healthy School Canteen Environment among Primary School Children in Malaysia

Choon Huey Teo et al. Nutrients. .

Abstract

In this study, a school nutrition program (SNP) that incorporates nutrition education and a healthy school canteen environment was developed to improve nutrition knowledge among intervention respondents and provide a healthier environment for them to practice healthy eating. In the current study, we evaluated the impacts of the SNP on eating behaviors, physical activity, body mass index-for-age (BAZ), and cognitive performance at pre-intervention, post-intervention, and 3-month follow-up points between intervention and comparison groups. This intervention study involved 523 primary school children (7-11 years old) from six selected schools in Batu Pahat District, Malaysia. Each respondent completed anthropometric and cognitive performance assessments and a set of standardized questionnaire at pre-intervention, post-intervention, and 3-month follow-up points. Multiple linear mixed model analysis was performed to determine the impacts of that SNP after being adjusted for covariates. After the program, the intervention group increased their frequency of breakfast, lunch, and dinner consumption and morning tea snacking and showed more frequent physical activity and better cognitive performance as compared to the comparison group overtime (p < 0.05). At 3-month follow-up, the intervention group showed lower BAZ scores than their comparison counterparts (p < 0.05). The SNP showed positive effects on eating behaviors, physical activity, BAZ, and cognitive performance in school children. Hence, the SNP is highly recommended for all primary school children.

Keywords: body weight status; children; cognitive performance; eating behaviors; malnutrition; nutrition education; obesity; overweight; physical activity; school canteen; school nutrition program.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The author declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, or publication of this article. The funders had no role in the design of the study; in the collection, analyses, or interpretation of data; in the writing of the manuscript; or in the decision to publish the results.

References

    1. World Health Organization News and Information: The WHO Global Database on BMI. [(accessed on 22 July 2017)];Nutrition. 2006 9:658–659. Available online: https://www.who.int/nutrition/databases/bmi/en/
    1. Poh B.K., Ng B.K., Haslinda M.D.S., Shanita S.N., Wong J.E., Budin S.B., Ruzita A.T., Ng L.O., Khouw I., Norimah A.K. Nutritional status and dietary intakes of children aged 6 months to 12 years: Findings of the Nutrition Survey of Malaysian Children (SEANUTS Malaysia) Br. J. Nutr. 2013;110:S21–S35. doi: 10.1017/S0007114513002092. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Institute for Public Health (IPH) National Health and Morbidity Survey (NHMS) 2019: Vol. I: NCDs—Non-Communicable Diseases: Risk Factors and other Health Problems. [(accessed on 22 March 2021)]; Available online: http://www.iku.gov.my/images/IKU/Document/REPORT/NHMS2019/Report_NHMS201....
    1. Tee E.S., Nurliyana A.R., Karim N.A., Jan Mohamed H.J.B., Tan S.Y., Appukutty M., Hopkins S., Thielecke F., Ong M.K., Ning C., et al. Breakfast consumption among Malaysian primary and secondary school children and relationship with body weight status—Findings from the MyBreakfast Study. Asia Pac. J. Clin. Nutr. 2018;27:421–432. doi: 10.6133/apjcn.062017.12. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Khambalia A.Z., Lim S.S., Gill T., Bulgiba A.M. Prevalence and sociodemographic factors of malnutrition among children in Malaysia. Food Nutr. Bull. 2012;33:31–42. doi: 10.1177/156482651203300103. - DOI - PubMed

Publication types