The Effectiveness of a School-Based Nutrition Programme on Weight Gain Control and Academic Performance in Urban Youth Aged 15-18 in Uganda Over Three Years

The prevalence of overweight and obesity among urban youth aged 15-18 in Uganda is on the rise, posing significant health and educational challenges. A mixed-methods approach was employed, including baseline assessments, regular monitoring sessions, surveys, and qualitative interviews to gather comprehensive data on participant outcomes. The intervention led to an average weight control of -2.5 kg (95% CI: -3.0 to -2.1 kg) among participants compared to a control group, with significant improvements in academic performance as measured by standardised test scores. The school-based nutrition programme demonstrated effectiveness in improving both weight management and academic outcomes in urban youth aged 15-18 in Uganda over the study period. Further research should explore long-term effects, sustainability of results, and potential scalability of this intervention model to other regions with similar demographic profiles. Urban Youth, School-Based Nutrition Programme, Weight Gain Control, Academic Performance, Mixed-Methods Research The maintenance outcome was modelled as $Y_{it}=\beta_0+\beta_1X_{it}+u_i+\varepsilon_{it}$, with robustness checked using heteroskedasticity-consistent errors.