Impact of a Healthy City Program on oral health and nutritional habits of middle school students in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: a cross-sectional study.

ABSTRACT:

Background

In 1988, the World Health Organization launched the Healthy City Program (HCP), which seeks to improve health and well-being by empowering local communities. This study aimed to assess the impact of HCP nutritional education on middle school children by comparing general and oral health, nutritional status, and dietary outcomes between participating and non-participating schools.

Methods

A cross-sectional study was conducted among 1200 school children from three HCP schools and five control non-HCP schools in Saudi Arabia. Data were collected using questionnaires on self-reported general health, oral health, and dietary intake. Nutritional status was assessed using Body Mass Index (BMI). Caries prevalence (Decayed Missing Filled Teeth DMFT) and Gingival health (Bl

SUBMITTER: AlSagob EI 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12628527 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature