Nutritional interventions for adolescents using information and communication technologies (ICTs): A systematic...

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Nutrition Science
• Health Informatics

Background:

• Promoting healthy nutrition behaviors in adolescents is a public health priority.
• Information and communication technologies (ICTs) present a promising avenue for delivering nutritional interventions.
• Existing research on ICT-based adolescent nutrition interventions requires systematic evaluation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically review and identify ICTs used in adolescent nutrition interventions.
• To characterize these technologies and evaluate the quality and effectiveness of the studies.
• To inform future development of ICT-based health promotion strategies.

Main Methods:

• Systematic review of five databases (2005-2015) for studies on ICTs for adolescent nutrition.
• Inclusion of randomized controlled trials, quasi-experimental, and observational studies.
• Quality assessment using the Effective Public Health Practice Project Quality Assessment Tool.

Main Results:

• Eleven studies met inclusion criteria, primarily recruiting from schools.
• Interventions included computer games, programs, text messages, and interactive CD-ROMs, with most using computer-mediated ICTs.
• Five studies reported significant outcomes, though three were rated as weak quality due to sample and questionnaire limitations.

Conclusions:

• Despite study heterogeneity and quality concerns, ICTs show potential for adolescent nutrition interventions.
• Long-term interventions with frequent technology exposure and a focus on single behavior change appear most effective.
• Further high-quality research is needed to optimize ICT-based nutrition promotion for adolescents.