ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Public Health
Sec. Children and Health
Volume 13 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2025.1524574
This article is part of the Research TopicImpact of Overall Health on Oral Health of Children and AdolescentsView all 7 articles
A Group Motivational Interviewing Intervention in Schools to Reduce Sugar Sweetened Beverages Intake Among Young People (DISS): A feasibility study
Provisionally accepted
Huda Yusuf*
Maria Josefina Valenzuela- Queen Mary University of London, London, United Kingdom
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Introduction: Child obesity is a global public health issue affecting high, middle and lowincome countries. The causes of obesity are complex and influenced by environmental and behavioural factors including diet and sedentary lifestyles. Young people consume sugar sweetened drinks (SSB) regularly, providing the largest single source of free sugars. This paper presents the protocol for a cluster feasibility study that aims to assess feasibility of an obesity school-to-home intervention delivered by teachers to reduce SSB consumption among 12-13year-olds in secondary schools to prevent weight gain by using Group Motivational Interviewing. Methods: An exploratory mixed-methods design will be used. The aim is to recruit 6 schools (2 control and 4 intervention) in East London and around 720 pupils. The intervention consists of three components. First, teachers will be upskilled in group motivational interviewing to deliver a series of activities to young people during school time. Second, a mobile app for young people will be developed to support the classroom activities. Lastly, a booklet with healthy lifestyle resources will be developed and sent home for parents. The outcome measures for the feasibility study will include the recruitment and retention rates, barriers and facilitators to intervention implementation, and acceptability among teachers and young people. Additionally, anthropometric, dietary, and lifestyle behaviour measures will be collected at baseline and at 6 months to assess acceptability in preparation for a main trial. Results: The study findings will be submitted for publication in international peer-reviewed journals and shared at international conferences. Discussion: The results of the study are expected to inform the development of a future trial and to contribute to research on the prevention of weight gain among young people and the reduction of SSB consumption.
Keywords: child obesity, sugar, Feasibility study, GMI, prevention
Received: 07 Nov 2024; Accepted: 13 Jun 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Yusuf and Valenzuela. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Huda Yusuf, Queen Mary University of London, London, United Kingdom
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