​Mai Ghabashi​

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Abstract

There is a lack of blended healthy lifestyle interventions that combine face-to-face sessions with the incorporation of digital components to enhance nutritional knowledge and improve health and psychological well-being among young Saudi females. Hence, this study seeks to test the feasibility and impact of such an intervention. A pilot quasi-experimental study was conducted in Makkah city involving 45 girls who participated in a 4-week intervention. The intervention encompassed weekly face-to-face educational sessions focused on promoting healthy dietary and lifestyle habits, employing behavior change techniques. To support the intervention, participants were encouraged to utilize digital advancements involving smart mobile applications for promoting the food intake monitoring process and facilitating communication and interaction with the interventionist. A total of 32 girls completed the intervention, indicating a feasibility and acceptability rate of 71% among the participants. The intervention demonstrated a favorable impact on nutrition knowledge scores (NKS), dietary habits, and psychological well-being. Specifically, at the end of the intervention, significant improvements were observed in NKS and Healthy Plate Variety Scores, with increases of 1.8 and 0.7 points (p<0.001), respectively, compared to baseline. Conversely, there was a noteworthy decrease in average Generalized Anxiety Disorder scores, exhibiting a reduction of 1.5 points (p=0.006) at the end of the intervention. The present pilot blended intervention was feasible and effective in improving nutrition knowledge and dietary habits as well as reducing levels of anxiety among young Saudi females. To enhance the validity of these findings, it is recommended to replicate the study on a larger scale with diverse participants and evaluate the long-term impact on sustained dietary habit change.​