La intervención educativa se asocia con una mejora del perfil antropométrico de los niños en República Dominicana: Un estudio multicéntricoObjective: To evaluate the relationship between the Programa de Educación en Salud y Nutrición para Niños de Latinoamérica, República Dominicana (EDUSANU RD) [Health and Nutrition Education Program for Children in Latin America, Dominican Republic] and changes in the anthropometric profile of student participants from its implementation in 2016 to 2019.
Methods: A retrospective study that evaluated the impact of EDUSANU RD on the anthropometric profile of children in 9 educational centers who participated in the program for at least 1 year. Data from biannual anthropometric measurements were collected and analyzed. Participants were categorized according to Body Mass Index (BMI) percentile into underweight, normal weight, overweight, and obese. A bivariate comparison was conducted using a paired T-test to determine if there was a difference in BMI percentile between the first measurement (control measurement) and the last measurement (post-intervention) for each group of participants according to their BMI category.
Results: A total of 1,923 participants were studied. Participants who were overweight and obese showed a significant reduction in BMI percentiles of 5.74 ± 0.89 (95% CI: 3.98-7.49) and 3.81 ± 0.60 (95% CI: 2.62-4.99, p=0.000), respectively. Underweight individuals showed an increase in BMI percentile of 13.52 ± 2.76 (95% CI: 19.03 - 8.02, p=0.000).
Conclusions: EDUSANU RD was positively associated with improvements in the anthropometric profile of participants, showing a significant reduction in BMI percentile for overweight and obese children and a significant increase in BMI percentile for underweight children.
Keywords:
Anthropometry; child malnutrition; educational intervention; malnutrition; obesity