Nutrition Intervention Among Ethnic Minority Children Aged 5-16 Years in Tra Vinh Province, Vietnam

NCT07583667 | Completed

• 1 other identifier: IRB No. 493/HDDD-DHYD
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 811
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

The goal of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of a nutrition health education intervention among ethnic minority children aged 5-16 years in Tra Vinh Province, Vietnam. It will also assess factors associated with nutritional status in this population. The main questions it aims to answer are: Does the nutrition health education intervention improve nutritional status? Does the intervention improve nutrition-related knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP)? Does the intervention improve diet quality and physical activity levels among participants? Researchers will compare participants receiving the nutrition education intervention with control group to evaluate the effectiveness of the intervention. Participants in intervention group will: Participate in a structured nutrition education program delivered monthly for 4 months through interactive lessons, videos, and educational materials Receive ongoing support and reinforcement activities for an additional 2 months Attend baseline and follow-up assessments including anthropometric measurements and interviews Complete questionnaires on nutrition knowledge, dietary practices, and physical activity

Conditions

Malnutrition in Children; Overweight; Obesity; Undernutrition

Keywords

Community-Based Intervention; Malnutrition; nutrition education; Ethnic Minority Children

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (2)

• Change in BMI-for-age z-score

  Weight and height will be combined to report BMI in kilogram/meters\^2. BMI-for-age z-score calculated according to the 2007 WHO growth standards.

  Baseline and 6 months

• Change in prevalence of malnutrition (including undernutrition and overweight/obesity)

  Proportion of participants with abnormal nutritional status, including undernutrition (stunting, underweight, or thinness) and overweight/obesity, classified according to WHO growth reference standards based on age- and sex-specific z-scores.

  Baseline and 6 months

Secondary Outcomes (6)

• Change in nutrition-related knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP)

  Baseline and 6 months

• Change in diet quality scores

  Baseline and 6 months

• Change in physical activity levels

  Baseline and 6 months

• Change in skeletal muscle mass

  Baseline and 6 months

• Change in body fat mass

  Baseline and 6 months

Study Arms (2)

intervention group

EXPERIMENTAL

Participants receive a structured nutrition health education intervention delivered through community-based and school-based models. The program includes four monthly educational sessions using presentations and videos, supported by interactive posters, nutrition leaflets, and dietary and physical activity diaries. The intervention is implemented over four months, followed by a two-month maintenance phase with reinforcement activities involving community health workers, school staff, and family engagement.

Behavioral: Nutrition Health Education

control group

NO INTERVENTION

Participants do not receive the structured nutrition education intervention. They continue to receive routine health and nutrition education activities available at local community health centers and schools without additional intervention from the study.

Interventions

Nutrition Health Education BEHAVIORAL

A multi-component nutrition health education program delivered through community-based and school-based models. For children aged 5-10 years, both children and their caregivers participate in nutrition education sessions at local health stations. For children aged 11-16 years, the intervention is delivered at ethnic minority boarding schools. The program consists of four monthly structured sessions using presentations and videos, supported by interactive posters, nutrition leaflets, and dietary and physical activity diaries. The key topics include: (1) nutrients and health, (2) prevention of undernutrition and overweight/obesity, (3) healthy dietary habits, and (4) physical activity promotion. The intervention lasts four months, followed by a two-month maintenance phase with reinforcement by community health workers, school staff, and family engagement.

intervention group

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 5 Years - 16 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Child (0-17)

You may qualify if:

• Ethnic minority children aged 5-16 years
• Living in selected communities or attending selected schools
• Consent from parents/caregivers and assent from children

You may not qualify if:

• Congenital deformities affecting anthropometry
• Medical conditions affecting body composition measurement
• Inability to participate in interviews

Sponsors & Collaborators

• University of Medicine and Pharmacy at Ho Chi Minh City: lead

Study Sites (1)

Community Health Centers in Tra Vinh Province

Thanh pho Tra Vinh, Tra Vinh, Vietnam

Location

Related Publications (3)

• Dike IC, Ebizie EN, Chukwuone CA, Ejiofor NJ, Anowai CC, Ogbonnaya EK, Ugwu EI, Nkechinyere US, Chigbu EF, Ezeaku MN, Nnadi GC, Ihuoma EC, Gera NP, Chikwendu JN. Effect of community-based nutritional counseling intervention on children's eating habits. Medicine (Baltimore). 2021 Jul 30;100(30):e26563. doi: 10.1097/MD.0000000000026563.

  PMID: 34397687 BACKGROUND

• Annan RA, Apprey C, Agyemang GO, Tuekpe DM, Asamoah-Boakye O, Okonogi S, Yamauchi T, Sakurai T. Nutrition education improves knowledge and BMI-for-age in Ghanaian school-aged children. Afr Health Sci. 2021 Jun;21(2):927-941. doi: 10.4314/ahs.v21i2.55.

  PMID: 34795753 BACKGROUND

• Truong DTT, Tran THT, Nguyen TTT, Tran VHT. Double burden of malnutrition in ethnic minority school-aged children living in mountainous areas of Vietnam and its association with nutritional behavior. Nutr Res Pract. 2022 Oct;16(5):658-672. doi: 10.4162/nrp.2022.16.5.658. Epub 2022 Jan 25.

  PMID: 36238380 BACKGROUND

Related Links

• EPIDEMIOLOGY OF NUTRITIONAL STATUS AMONG ETHNIC MINORITY CHILDRENAGED 5-16 YEARSIN THE CITY AND TWODISTRICTSOF TRA VINH PROVINCE, 2024
• NUTRITION KNOWLEDGE AND NUTRITIONAL STATUSAMONG ETHNIC MINORITYCHILDREN IN TRA VINH PROVINCE

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Child Nutrition Disorders; Malnutrition; Overweight; Obesity

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Nutrition Disorders; Nutritional and Metabolic Diseases; Overnutrition; Body Weight; Signs and Symptoms; Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms

Study Officials

• Truc T Thanh, PhD

  University of Medicine and Pharmacy at Ho Chi Minh City

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: PREVENTION
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Lecturer, Faculty of Public Health, University of Medicine and Pharmacy at Ho Chi Minh City

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: May 1, 2026
• First Posted: May 13, 2026
• Study Start: November 6, 2024
• Primary Completion: April 27, 2025
• Study Completion: April 27, 2025
• Last Updated: May 13, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-05

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will share
• Shared Documents: STUDY PROTOCOL, SAP, ANALYTIC CODE
• Time Frame: De-identified individual participant data and supporting documents will be available beginning 6 months after publication and ending 5 years after publication.
• Access Criteria: De-identified individual participant data and supporting documents will be available upon reasonable request to the corresponding author for academic research purposes.

Locations

VN (1)