Efecto de una intervención nutricional en el consumo de alimentos en escolares de educación básica de Reynosa, Tamaulipas, México

In recent years, the consumption of ultraprocessed foods in schoolchildren has increased and this has been linked to an increase in the prevalence of childhood obesity. Objective: To calculate the size of the effect of a nutritional intervention on food consumption in basic education schoolchildren in Reynosa, Tamaulipas, Mexico. Materials and methods: Longitudinal study, with a sample of 309 schoolchildren from 12 public elementary schools; two groups were formed: intervention (IG) and control (CG) with a follow-up of one year. Measurements of weight, height and waist circumference were made. To evaluate the foods included in school lunch, a food registry was used before and after the intervention and they were characterized as recommended and not recommended. The effect size (ES) was calculated using the Hedges’g statistic. Results: At the end of the study in both groups, water consumption increased, however the ES was big in the IG (ES=0.84); while in the CG it was moderate (ES=0.50). In the IG, a small reduction in the consumption of processed meats was observed (p=0.004; ES=0.28), sweet cereals (p=0.001; ES=0.36) and sweetened nondairy beverages decreased (p=0.001; ES=0.49); while the CG showed a small increase in the consumption of fast food and Mexican appetizers (p=0.001; ES=0.46). Conclusions: In the IG showed a TE small decrease in consumption of processed meats, sweet cereals, and sweetened non-dairy beverages. It is necessary to design strategies that promote the consumption of recommended foods.