Improving the Lifestyle of Obese Adolescents: An Intervention Study, National Nutrition Institute, Cairo, Egypt

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Public Health and Community Medicine Department, Cairo University, Egypt.

2 National Nutrition Institute, General Authority for Teaching Hospitals and Institutes, Cairo, Egypt.

10.21608/ejnh.2025.447952

Abstract

Adolescent obesity is an emerging public health issue in Egypt resulting from unhealthy diet and physical inactivity. Multi-component interventions including education and personalized approaches have been proven effective against such issues, yet evidence is scarce in low-resource settings. The current study evaluated the effect of a specialized obesity treatment intervention on knowledge, attitude, practices (KAP), related to lifestyle among obese adolescents. A single-group, pretest-post test design was employed with 85 adolescents (12–19 years, BMI >95th percentile) in the National Nutrition Institute's Children's Obesity Clinic in Cairo. The intervention, which continued for 6 months, comprised nutrition education, individualized dietary and activity plans, and behavioral counseling according to the Health Belief Model. Outcomes were assessed using validated questionnaires (KAP, food frequency, IPAQ) at baseline and after 6 months.The results showed that the knowledge scores improved significantly (median: 23 to 30, p < 0.001), and 98.8% of them appropriately labeled obesity-related factors following the intervention. Attitudes improved significantly (median: 28 to 29, p < 0.001), and 100% of them agreed on adopting a healthy lifestyle. Behaviors in accordance with optimum levels showed that breakfast adherence rose to 100% (p < 0.001), water intake was 8 cups/day (p < 0.001), and fruit/vegetable intake was augmented (3 to 7.5 times/week, p < 0.001), while sweets consumption decreased (4 to 1, p < 0.001). Moderate physical activity rose from 7% to 14.1% (p = 0.046), yet 84.7% remained low. No significant adverse events were observed. In conclusion, the intervention significantly improved significantly the participants’ healthy lifestyle KAP, providing a model for scalable obesity control in Egypt. The modest improvement in physical activity level emphasizes the necessity for strengthened strategies.

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