Guidelines-Driven Educational Intervention Promotes Healthy Lifestyle Among Adolescents and Adults: A Serbian National Longitudinal Study

Abstract

Background and objectives: The effectiveness of short-term focused educational programs to change health behaviors across large populations seems to be poorly described so far. The main aim of the present study was to evaluate an age-specific 45-min educational program, designed in accordance with the current U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and U.S. Department of Agriculture dietary guidelines and physical activity (PA) guidelines, among adolescents and adults. Materials and Methods: We evaluated the health-promoting lifestyle habits by the Health-Promoting Lifestyle Profile (HPLP-II) at baseline and following 6–8 weeks post-education in a nationally representative sample of Serbian adolescents and adults (n = 3822). Results: The percentage of adolescents eating 3–5 servings of vegetables per day increased at follow-up (20.1% versus 23.1%, p = 0.001), with significantly more adolescents regularly reading food labels (from 12.2% at baseline to 14.2% at follow-up; p = 0.02). Taken together, mean HPLP-II scores in adolescents significantly improved for both diet (0.05 points; p < 0.0001) and PA (0.09 points; p < 0.0001), and for PA in adults (0.08 points; p < 0.0001). Hierarchical multiple regression analysis revealed that our model as a whole (including time of testing as a predictor variable, and age and gender as control variables) explained 3.0% of the variance in mean HPLP-II scores for diet (p = 0.942) and 3.0% for PA (p = 0.285) in adolescents, and 1.1% of the variance in HPLP-II scores for diet (p = 0.781) and 1.9% for PA (p = 0.075) in adults, respectively. Conclusions: It appears that a brief focused education can positively tackle unhealthy lifestyles in promoting good health in general population. Different modes of interactive communication used here appeared to strengthen participants’ capacities for lifestyle changes.

Dietary Patterns and Weight Status of Primary School Children in Serbia

“…A wealth of research suggests a significant role of breakfast in attaining an optimal nutritional profile ( 31 ). The positive side of dietary pattern includes a high level of daily breakfast intake among Serbian children (84.5%), which is higher than our previous findings on Serbian adolescents (78.2%) ( 32 ). It is also slightly higher than the pooled average reports from European countries (80% of children); however, it is still lower than reports from Nordic countries, Portugal, Spain, Russian Federation, Ireland, and Montenegro (90% of children) ( 33 – 35 ).…”

Mediterranean Diet, Physical Fitness and Body Composition in Sevillian Adolescents: A Healthy Lifestyle

“…This should be the basis that empowers people to make healthy decisions in their daily lives. The acquisition of knowledge and motivation through education, along with environmental support, will allow people to change unhealthy lifestyle habits [67].…”

Childhood Obesity in Serbia on the Rise

“…The unfavorable trend in childhood obesity might be related to the lack of health-promoting lifestyle habits in Serbian children and youth, where only 8% of early adolescents in Serbia choose a diet low in fats, 17% limit use of sugars and sweets, and 20% eat recommended servings of vegetables each day [ 23 ]. Only 45% of Serbian adolescents follow a planned exercise program, 43% exercise vigorously for 20 or more minutes at least three times a week, 40% take part in light to moderate physical activity, and 29% take part in recreational physical activity [ 23 ].…”