Effect of School-Integrated Interventions on Improvement of Nutrition-Health Knowledge and Nutritional Status among Adolescent Girls: A Quasi-Experimental Study

Abstract

Adolescent girls in Indonesia face triple burdens of malnutrition, which will harm the next generation. This study aimed to assess the efficacy of school-integrated interventions on nutrition-health knowledge and nutritional status among adolescent girls. A quasi-experimental study design involved 342 female adolescents in the entire study series from 2021-2023. The intervention school was provided nutrition-health education by trained teachers plus nutrition-health services at the Adolescent Girls’ Integrated Health Post (Posyandu) (n=262); the comparison only received nutrition-health education from trained teachers at their school (n=80). Nutrition-health knowledge (standard questionnaire), nutrients and dietary intake (food recall form 2x24 hours and food frequency questionnaire), and nutritional status were collected through anthropometric and biochemical assessments in both groups. There was an increase in the mean value of all aspects of nutrition-health knowledge. This increase was higher in the intervention group. The malnutrition biomarkers decreased significantly in the intervention school comprised of anemia was 3.4%, Chronic Energy Deficiency (CED) was 24.1%, severe stunted at 0.8%, and wasting at 1.6%, but overweight increased by 1.2%. In the comparison school, only CED decreased significantly by 26.2%, while anemia, severe stunting, wasting, and overweight increased significantly. In conclusion, school-integrated interventions were more effective than nutritional education alone in improving nutrition-health knowledge and nutritional status among adolescent girls.