4. Discussion
obesity, pandemic, overweight or obesity
OBESITY
The “Nutritional Adventures” program, presented herein, implemented during the crucial period after the COVID-19 pandemic appeared to be a successful educational approach in promoting short-term healthy nutrition during early life stages with potential long-term effects. The present work—despite the effect of low magnitude—revealed a trend of improvement in a couple of dietary habits, as well as physical activity status. These observations—accompanied by other features of the program, including the participation of all students in the class and the collaboration in common nutrition projects with individual or group tasks, which enhanced students’ creativity as well as their interaction with educators and parents—had a positive impact on children’s HRQoL, especially school and emotional functioning. This implies the effectiveness of such initiatives beyond the scope for which it was initially designed. Online nutritional education for children is a valuable tool, fostering informed dietary choices and promoting healthy eating habits from an early age [Online education can address the challenges related to the dissemination of credible information and provide expert-designed materials, especially in the context of the copious barriers in providing teacher-delivered nutrition education in schools [Opinions on the effectiveness of online education, compared to face-to-face, vary from ineffective to better than regular [Effective online education programs exhibit several key characteristics that render them proficient in instigating meaningful behavioral changes [The ideal duration for educational interventions remains a topic of debate. Longer durations have been associated with positive outcomes [Maintaining children’s attention and motivation by providing engaging content is key to the program’s success. Online education should employ various multimedia resources, such as interactive presentations with videos, quizzes, and simulations [Furthermore, educational programs prioritize fostering interactivity among students, imaginative play, and collaborative spirit [Apart from the experts, the combined involvement in education of both schools and families should be actively involved in child education [Nevertheless, the role of parental involvement in education should not be undermined. Many interventions call for the involvement of parents in the educational process [Interventions aimed at enhancing the dietary habits of children should unequivocally eschew discriminatory practices. It is imperative, in particular, to formulate interventions that exhibit no bias towards children with overweight or obesity, as the stigmatization of obesity can impede the positive outcomes of endeavors directed at the treatment and prevention of obesity [Online education is a dynamic and evolving domain, characterized by various emerging trends. One such trend is the incorporation of gamification and “serious games” into nutritional education. In gamified systems, various game-related elements that are not limited to scoring systems, leaderboards, badges, and time pressure can be embedded into the activities to ensure engagement and enhance motivation [Since many of these approaches are relatively recent, it is imperative to investigate their long-term effects and compare them with traditional educational methods. Assessing enduring changes in dietary habits is a key outcome, but researchers should also consider improvements in other areas that are often affected, such as HRQoL, mental health, and behavioral changes within families [Despite the demonstrated efficacy of our program, the limitations of our study should not be ignored. Firstly, the program had a relatively short duration, encompassing two school hours of interactive educational activities and a limited amount of time during which students engaged with supplementary educational materials. Nevertheless, notwithstanding its brief duration, the program exhibited a notable efficacy in enhancing children’s dietary habits and HRQoL, promoting physical activities, and restricting screen time. The statistical analysis was conducted with data from the intervention schools and no control group to compare. In order to verify that the observed changes result from our intervention and to what extent, controlled studies should be organized. Nevertheless, as the baseline and follow-up questionnaires were completed within 3–5 weeks, no major changes in dietary habits or HRQoL should be expected for those not receiving the intervention. Despite the reported abstention, our final sample size (