An Innovative, Multimedia-Based Intervention for Promoting Changes in Lifestyle in Italian Families

Background/Objectives: Several studies have reported a high prevalence of overweight and obesity among children and adults, with relevant implications for long-term health. Digital platforms and social media may support nutrition education when their content is developed and supervised by health professionals. This study evaluated whether dietary habits, lifestyle indicators, body mass index-related measures, and Mediterranean diet adherence differed between baseline and 210-day assessments among participants in a family- and school-mediated multimedia educational program aimed at promoting healthier lifestyles and greater adherence to the Mediterranean diet. Methods: This was an uncontrolled repeated cross-sectional before-and-after evaluation based on online surveys administered at baseline and after 210 days to respondent samples from the same project population. The multimedia educational program was delivered through a dedicated website and social media channels. The analysis included 329 children/adolescents at both assessment waves and 119 and 122 adult female respondents at baseline and 210 days, respectively. Since only 11 adult males responded, analyses of adults were restricted to women. Additionally, Mediterranean diet adherence was assessed using a modified KIDMED-derived score in children/adolescents and the PREDIMED score in adults. Data from the two assessment waves were compared at the group level, rather than as paired longitudinal observations. Results: Among children/adolescents, higher physical activity, lower screen time, and more favorable dietary indicators were observed at 210 days than at baseline. Moreover, daily fruit intake, daily vegetable intake, regular fish consumption, and the modified KIDMED score were higher at 210 days. Good adherence to the Mediterranean diet increased from 46.8% at baseline to 61.4% at 210 days. Among adult female respondents, the median body mass index was lower at 210 days than at baseline, and favorable differences were observed for vegetable, fish/seafood, legume, and nut intake. The median PREDIMED score increased from 7.0 [6.0-8.0] at baseline to 9.0 [7.0-10.0] at 210 days, and good Mediterranean diet adherence increased from 10.9% to 35.2%. Conclusions: Among children/adolescents, physical activity, screen time, and dietary indicators showed more favorable distributions in the 210-day respondent group than in the baseline respondent group. Daily fruit intake, daily vegetable intake, regular fish consumption, and the modified KIDMED-derived score were higher at 210 days, and good Mediterranean diet adherence was more frequent at 210 days than at baseline (61.4% vs. 46.8%). Among adult female respondents, the median body mass index was lower in the 210-day respondent group than in the baseline respondent group, and more favorable distributions were observed for vegetable, fish/seafood, legume, and nut intake. The median PREDIMED score was higher at 210 days than at baseline: 9.0 [7.0-10.0] versus 7.0 [6.0-8.0], respectively. Good Mediterranean diet adherence was also more frequent at 210 days (35.2% vs. 10.9%).