What is this study about?
The SuNDiAL project has been designed to investigate the dietary intakes, nutritional status, physical activity levels, and the attitudes and motivations for food choices of adolescent males and females. The results of this study will provide valuable information to the individual participants and the schools involved, and will ultimately contribute to the development of up-to-date government and health agency guidelines targeted at adolescents in New Zealand.
The SuNDiAL project is based in the Department of Human Nutrition at the University of Otago.
What will the study involve?
The SuNDiAL project will survey 15-18 year old male and female high school students throughout the country.
Once they have consented to this study, they will be sent an online questionnaire which will ask about dietary habits and attitudes and motivations to food choice along with some other health questions.
Students will then sit with a researcher and complete a 24-hour food recall and have their height, weight and forearm measured which will take approximately 45-60 minutes.
In the following week, the students may be asked to carry out a second 24-hour food recall.
Some students may also decide to take part in additional activities:
As part of the school visit participants may provide a blood and/or urine sample. This is not a requirement of participation, but students who provide a blood sample will be given information about their iron status.
At the school visit participants will also be offered the opportunity to wear an accelerometer for a seven-day period. This will allow us to collect valuable information about the physical activity, sedentary behaviour, and sleep patterns of adolescents in New Zealand.
Students can register their interest in participating in the study
Information for students as participants of the study.
What involvement is asked from the school?
If your school decides to participate, we will ask your assistance with:
- Providing an opportunity for our research team to come and talk to your students (perhaps in an assembly) about the study. This brief presentation will ultimately focus on the study, but can be adapted to cover career options in Nutrition and Dietetics and/or studying sciences at university of you feel this would be useful for your student body.
- Allowing our research team access to space within the school access to wifi, on days and times that suit your schedule to allow the students to participate in the study
- Allow our research team to return a week later to collect physical activity monitoring devices and briefly follow-up with any students who haven't completed questionnaires
- Promoting the study within the school
- Sending relevant information about the study to students and parents (in an email or school newsletter)
How does the school benefit from participation?
Schools that participate in the SuNDiAL Project will be provided with a tailored report summarising information collected as part of the study. This report will not include information from individual participants, but will provide information about, for example, how many girls from your school eat breakfast regularly, and the average number of servings of fruit and vegetables they consume compared to the average from across the country. Members of the research team will be available to consult with the school about their results.
What happens next?
The SuNDiAL project team will be contacting schools in the relevant locations to discuss the project. If you have been contacted please do consider participating!
For more information, please contact the SuNDiAL research team:
Email sundial@otago.ac.nz