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Objective. This study aims to evaluate the impact of an intervention program, taught by trained teachers, on foods and nutrients components of the Diet Quality Index–International among children in Grades 1 to 4. Method. A total of 464 children (239 female, 6-12 years) from seven elementary Portuguese schools participated in this randomized trial. Three schools were allocated to the intervention, and four to the control group. The intervention program was based on the health promotion model and social cognitive theory. Teachers previously trained by researchers in nutrition, healthy eating, and healthy cooking implemented the intervention in the classroom from November 2008 to March 2009. Sociodemographic, anthropometric, physical activity, and dietary assessments were performed before (2007/2008) and at the end of the intervention (2009). Dietary intake was gathered by a 24-hour dietary recall and the components of Diet Quality Index–International were defined. Results. Children from the intervention schools reported a significantly higher adequacy in vegetable consumption (p = .018) and a significantly higher moderation in sodium consumption (p = .032) compared with the controllers. Conclusion. Our study provides further support for the success of intervention programs that aim to enhance children’s dietary intake. Implementing similar interventions can be promising to support vegetable consumption and moderate sodium intake. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Objective: To examine the effects of an intervention program held by teachers previously trained in nutrition, on the consumption of low nutrient, energy-dense (LNED) foods, of children attending elementary schools. Method: 464 children (239 female, 6 to 12years) from seven elementary Portuguese schools participated in this randomized trial. Three schools were allocated to the intervention, and four to the control group. The intervention program was based on the Health Promotion Model and social cognitive theory. Teachers previously trained by researchers in nutrition and healthy eating implemented the intervention in the classroom from November 2008 to March 2009. Sociodemographic, anthropometric, physical activity, and dietary assessments were performed before (2007/2008) and at the end of the intervention (2009). Dietary intake was gathered by a 24-hour dietary recall and two groups of LNED foods were defined, namely SSBs and solid LNED foods. Results: Children from intervention group reported a reduction whereas the control group reported an increase in solid LNED foods consumption. The odds of increasing solid LNED foods consumption was 0.48, 95%CI (0.24, 0.95) in the intervention schools. Conclusion: Our study provides further support for the success of intervention programs aimed at limiting the consumption of solid LNED foods in children. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Our study aimed to assess the impact of a six-months nutrition program, taught by trained teachers, on fruit and vegetable consumption among children in grades 1 to 4. Four hundred and sixty-four children (239 female), 6 to 12 years old, from seven elementary schools were assigned to this randomized trial. Teachers were trained by researchers over six months, according to the following topics: nutrition, healthy eating, and strategies to increase physical activity. After each session, teachers were encouraged to develop activities in the classroom on the topics learned. Children's sociodemographic, anthropometric, dietary, and physical activity data were assessed at baseline and at the end of the intervention. The effect sizes ranged between small (Cohen's d = 0.12 on "other vegetables") to medium (0.56 on "fruit and vegetable"), and intervened children reported a significantly higher consumption of vegetables and fruit. Interventions involving trained teachers offer promise to increase consumption of fruit and vegetable in children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]