The effects of increased dietary fiber intake on the self-reported quality of life of school-age children

Abstract

The aim of this community-based, randomized-controlled prospective nutrition intervention study was to assess the impact of serving high-fiber snacks twice a day to a sample of school-age children on their dietary fiber intake and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) scores. Participants (n = 81) were children aged 7-11 years. Children were randomized to receive two high-fiber snacks per day for eight weeks (intervention) or to continue eating their regular snacks (control). At baseline and post-intervention, usual dietary intake data were collected via repeated 24-hour dietary recalls and HRQOL was assessed using the PedsQL? Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory. Statistical analysis to assess significant changes in dietary intake as well as self-reported quality of life was conducted using two-sided student’s t-tests; significance level was set at p < 0.05. Dietary fiber intake increased significantly by 2.41 grams/day in the intervention group. The mean increase in the physical scale score of the PedsQL from baseline to post-intervention was significantly greater for the intervention as compared to control group. This study indicates that providing high-fiber snacks to elementary-school children can effectively increase dietary fiber consumption and may lead to an improved physical quality of life. Further research is needed regarding the impact of nutrition on health-related quality of life.

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Brauchla, M. , Reidenbach, K. , Baker, S. , McCabe, S. and Kranz, S. (2014) The effects of increased dietary fiber intake on the self-reported quality of life of school-age children. Health, 6, 115-122. doi: 10.4236/health.2014.61018.

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

References

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