Endocrine Abstracts

Introduction: The inequity in energy balance is the most common cause of obesity throughout adolescence. Thus, evaluating nutritional knowledge is crucial for effective planning of targeted preventive interventions, by identifying specific areas that require improvement. Our study was undertaken in order to assess the levels of dietary awareness in a sample of Tunisian adolescents aged 12 to 15 years.

Methods: It was a multicenter cross-sectional study including 315 adolescents aged from 12 to 15 years. Our study was conducted at the National Center for School and University Medicine in Tunis and five randomly selected nurseries in Ariana governorate from December 2021 to June 2022. Participants’ nutritional knowledge was evaluated using an Arabic version of the validated French nutritional questionnaire QuesCA 12-15 with a maximum score of 9/9. We developed the Arabic version following established translation and questionnaire validation guidelines.

Results: The average age of adolescents was 13.1±1 years. The sex ratio was 1.15. Three-quarts of the sample (76%) had a normal weight, 13% were obese and 9% were underweight. The mean score on the questionnaire was 5.814±0.4/9. The majority of participants (79%) obtained a fair score (i.e. score ranging between 4 and 6/9). None of the participants answered all items correctly. Nevertheless, thirteen percent achieved a good score (i.e. score ≥ 7/9) indicating a robust understanding of nutrition. On the other hand, 8% received a poor score (i.e. score ≤ 3/9). Worth noting, one child had a score of 0/9. Moreover, correct responses exceeded 75% for items related to the themes of breakfast, beverages, proteins, fruits and vegetables, and sweets. In contrast, items related to themes of balanced diet, starchy foods, calcium-rich foods, and fats had correct response rates below 25%.

Conclusion: These insights provide a foundation for developing tailored interventions to enhance dietary awareness and combat the rising challenges of obesity among Tunisian adolescents.