Promoting physical activity and improving dietary quality of Singaporean adolescents: effectiveness of a school-based fitness and wellness program

Claudine Loong; Latasha Leo; Danielle Goh; Pei Sin Lim; Wai Mun Loke

doi:10.1515/ijamh-2017-0049

Article

Promoting physical activity and improving dietary quality of Singaporean adolescents: effectiveness of a school-based fitness and wellness program

Claudine Loong , Latasha Leo , Danielle Goh , Pei Sin Lim and Wai Mun Loke

Published/Copyright: January 13, 2018

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From the journal International Journal of Adolescent Medicine and Health Volume 31 Issue 5

Abstract

Limited data are available on the effectiveness of the school-based structured fitness and wellness program to influence dietary quality and physical activity levels in Singaporean adolescents. The study examined if a 20-h (over 10 weeks) school-based structured fitness and wellness module affects the diet quality indices, energy intakes, physical activity levels and the associated energy expenditures in a group of healthy, male adolescents with low diet quality and physical activity levels. Participant demography, anthropometry, dietary intake and daily physical activity were obtained at the beginning, mid-point and end of the 10-week program. Physical activity levels were assessed accelerometrically over a 1-weekday period. Dietary intake were taken using a structured 7-day food diary, and diet quality assessed using the Diet Quality Index-International (DQI-I). The 31 enrolled participants (age 19.8 ± 0.6 years) with body mass index (BMI) (19.8 ± 0.6 kg/m²) followed diets of low diet quality scores (48.3 ± 9.6 out of 100) and engaged in 3.87 ± 2.00 h of physical activity daily before the start of the intervention. Their dietary quality and physical activity levels did not change significantly throughout the intervention period. They scored poorly in the moderation and overall balance components of the diet quality assessment. The physical activity duration correlated inversely to the diet quality scores. Our results suggest that the prescribed school-based fitness and wellness module was ineffective in influencing the diet quality and physical activity levels of Singaporean male adolescents with low diet quality and physical activity levels.

Keywords: adolescents; diet quality; fitness and wellness program; physical activity; school-based

Acknowledgements

The authors thank all the participants in the study.

Conflict of interest and funding disclosure: The authors have no conflict of interest. This work was supported by the Nanyang Polytechnic Student Final Year Project fund.
Author’s Contribution: C. Loong and W.M. Loke designed the study, interpreted the results and drafted the manuscript. L. Leo, D. Lim and P.S. Lim collected the data.

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Received: 2017-03-21

Accepted: 2017-05-10

Published Online: 2018-01-13

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Articles in the same Issue

https://doi.org/10.1515/ijamh-2017-0049

Keywords for this article

adolescents; diet quality; fitness and wellness program; physical activity; school-based