Changes in diet quality 6 and 12 months post-intervention: the Healthy Habits, Healthy Girls: a Brazilian study

ABSTRACT Objective To determine the sustainability of food quality in an obesity-prevention strategy for adolescent girls. Methods The study is a randomized controlled trial with 253 girls (Mean=15.61, 95% Confidence Interval 15.51-15.72) enrolled in 10 vocational schools in São Paulo. The diet intake was determined using a “Food Frequency Questionnaire” and analyzed according to the Brazilian Healthy Eating Index-Revised adequacy, moderation, and overall scores. The adolescents’ dietary intake was compared to the baseline 6 months and 12 months post-intervention. Descriptive statistics and analyses of covariance were used, considering a 5% significance level. Results Significant increases were found on the components total fruits (F=6.98, p