Implementation and Evaluation of Nutrition Interventions

Condition(s) studied

Investigational drug(s) / intervention(s)

Healthy eating promoting programme: It is a comprehensive, multi-component intervention tailored specifically for higher education students. Unlike many traditional health programs, this intervention uniquely combines the use of social media campaigns, behavioral nudges in student cafeterias, and interactive boost workshops.

Study summary

This project aims to implement and evaluate two multi-component dietary interventions focused on promoting healthy and sustainable eating behaviors and preventing weight gain among Flemish higher education students. These interventions will take place over a period of eight weeks and are specifically designed to support healthy lifestyle choices during the transition from secondary school to higher education, a critical period where unhealthy eating behaviors and weight gain are common.

The interventions will be conducted at a university and a college, utilizing nudges in student restaurants, social media campaigns via Instagram, and workshops to encourage healthy and sustainable eating habits. Effectiveness will be measured using questionnaires administered at three points in time: before the intervention (baseline), immediately after the intervention (post-intervention), and five months later (follow-up). Two other campuses will serve as a control group to compare results.

In addition to assessing effectiveness, a process evaluation will also be conducted. This will involve focus groups with students and stakeholders, as well as a process questionnaire, to gain insights into the implementation of the interventions and the experiences of those involved. If the interventions prove successful, they may be scaled up to other Flemish institutions as part of a broader strategy for cancer prevention.

Eligibility

Primary outcome measure(s)

• Nutrition behaviour — 3 test occations: baseline, 10 weeks after baseline and 5 months after baseline.
  Measured using an online questionnaire specifically developed for this study. This section of the questionnaire incorporated a modified version of the Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ), adapted from the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) survey for high school students. The FFQ evaluates dietary intake by measuring the consumption of both healthy foods (e.g., vegetables, fruits) and unhealthy foods (e.g., sugary drinks, fast food). Responses were recorded on an ordinal frequency scale, ranging from "never" to "more than three times per day."
• Attitude — 3 test occations: baseline, 10 weeks after baseline and 5 months after baseline.
  Measured using an online questionnaire specifically developed for this study. This section incorporated adapted questions from the REWARD study, as well as the EAT 2 and EAT 3 surveys. Attitudes toward healthy eating were measured using a 5-point Likert scale, ranging from "strongly disagree" to "strongly agree."
• Nutrition knowledge — 3 test occations: baseline, 10 weeks after baseline and 5 months after baseline.
  Measured using an online questionnaire specifically developed for this study. This section incorporated questions from the General Nutrition Knowledge Questionnaire (GNKQ) and study-specific questions related to the intervention (e.g., daily water intake recommendations). Nutrition knowledge was evaluated through multiple-choice questions.
• Self-efficacy — 3 test occations: baseline, 10 weeks after baseline and 5 months after baseline.
  Measured using an online questionnaire specifically developed for this study. This section of the questionnaire incorporates adapted items from the REWARD study. Participants rated their confidence in making healthy and sustainable food choices using a 5-point Likert scale, ranging from "very difficult" to "very easy."
• Perceived food environment — 3 test occations: baseline, 10 weeks after baseline and 5 months after baseline.
  Measured using an online questionnaire specifically developed for this study. This section of the questionnaire incorporated questions adapted to students' contexts from the Perceived Food Environment Questionnaire. Responses were recorded on a 5-point Likert scale, ranging from "strongly disagree" to "strongly agree."
• Intention — 3 test occations: baseline, 10 weeks after baseline and 5 months after baseline.
  Measured using an online questionnaire specifically developed for this study. This section of the questionnaire incorporated a question derived from the Transtheoretical Model to assess participants' intention, based on their readiness to change their eating habits.
• Barriers — 3 test occations: baseline, 10 weeks after baseline and 5 months after baseline.
  Measured using an online questionnaire specifically developed for this study. This section of the questionnaire incorporated adapted questions from the REWARD study to assess perceived barriers to eating healthy and sustainable. Responses were recorded on a 5-point Likert scale, ranging from "strongly disagree" to "strongly agree."
• Coocking skills — 3 test occations: baseline, 10 weeks after baseline and 5 months after baseline.
  Measured using an online questionnaire developed specifically for this study. This section included the food literacy behaviours tool from Begley to assess participants' cooking skills. Responses were measured using a 5-point Likert scale, ranging from "never" to "always".
• Weight (in kg) — 3 test occations: baseline, 10 weeks after baseline and 5 months after baseline.
  Measured using an online questionnaire specifically developed for this study.
• Lenght (in cm) — 3 test occations: baseline, 10 weeks after baseline and 5 months after baseline.
  Measured using an online questionnaire specifically developed for this study.

Trial sites (4)

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